The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero
by Yugioash
Summary: The last thing Jason expected was to wake up on the bus with no memory. The last thing Piper expected being forced into deciding between her friends and her father. The Last thing Leo expected was to use his power over fire again. But they need to work together to stop Gaea free Hera and find traces of the lost hero: Percy Jackson. This is their tales in first person's POV.
1. Jason's POV Part I

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** Sorry if this CHAPTER is too much like the Lost Hero book but in first person's POV, but give it time since the original characters from 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' series haven't shown up yet. When the main characters from the main series shows up, it will start to shape up the changes. I don't own any Percy Jackson characters or the stories.

* * *

 **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero**

 **I. Jason's POV**

Even before I got electrocuted, I was having a rotten day.

I woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where I was, holding hands with a girl I didn't know. That wasn't necessarily the rotten part. The girl was cute, but I couldn't figure out who she was or what I was doing here. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to think.

A few dozen kids sprawled in the seats in front of me, listening to iPods, talking, or sleeping. They all looked around my age… fifteen? Sixteen? Okay, that was scary. I didn't know my own age.

The bus rumbled along a bumpy road. Out the windows, desert rolled by under the bright blue sky. I'm pretty sure I didn't live in the desert. I tried to think back… the last thing I remembered…

The girl squeezed my hand. "Jason, you okay?"

Jason. Is that my name? I guess it must be. Does the girl know me? Do I know her? Can't I remember?

The girl wore faded jeans, hiking boots, and a fleece snowboarding jacket. Her chocolate brown hair was cut choppy and uneven, with thin strands braided down the sides. She wore no makeup like she was trying to draw attention to herself, but it didn't work. She was seriously pretty. Her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope—brown, blue, and green.

Yet, I can't remember her and I had this strange feeling I don't even _really_ know her.

I let go of her hand. "Um, I don't—"

In front of the bus, a teacher shouted, "All right, cupcakes, listen up!"

The guy was obviously a coach. His baseball cap had pulled low over his hair, so you could just see his beady eyes. He had a wispy goatee and a sour face, like he'd eaten something moldy. His buff arms and chest pushed against a bright orange polo shirt. His nylon workout pants and Nikes were spotless white. A whistle hung from his neck, and a megaphone was clipped to his belt. He would've looked scary if he hadn't been five feet zero. When he stood up in the aisle, one of the students called, "Stand up, Coach Hedge!"

"I heard that!" The coach scanned the bus for the offender. Then his eyes fixed on me, and his scowl deepened.

A jolt went down my spine. I was sure the coach didn't think I belonged there, and to be honest, I'm starting to think the same thing even if I can't remember. What's worse, I was worried that the coach would call me out and demand what I was doing on the bus—and I wouldn't know what to say.

But thankfully Coach Hedge looked away and cleared his throat. "We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way."

He picked up a baseball bat and made like he was hitting a homer.

I looked at the girl next to me. "Can he talk to us that way?"

She shrugged. "Always does. This is the Wilderness School. 'Where kids are the animals.'"

She said it like it was a joke we'd shared before.

"This is some kind of mistake," I said. "I'm not supposed to be here."

The boy in front of me turned and laughed. "Yeah, right, Jason. We've all been framed! I didn't run away six times. Piper didn't steal a BMW."

Again the boy talked as if he knew me just like the girl—who from what I guess is named Piper—and again I don't remember him and yet don't think I even _really_ know him.

Piper blushed. "I didn't steal that car, Leo!"

"Oh, I forgot, Piper. What was your story? 'You 'talked' the dealer into lending it to you?" The boy name Leo raised his eyebrows at me like, _Can you believe her?_

Leo looked like a Latino Santa's elf, with curly black hair, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, and a mischievous smile that told me right away this guy should not be trusted around matches or sharp objects. His long nimble fingers wouldn't stop moving—drumming the seat, sweeping his hair behind his ears, fiddling with the buttons of his army fatigue jacket. Either Leo was naturally hyper or he was hopped up on enough sugar and caffeine to give a heart attack to a water buffalo.

"Anyway," Leo said, "I hope you've got your worksheet, 'cause I used mine for spit wads days ago. Why are you looking at me like that? Somebody draw on my face again?"

"I don't you," I said.

Leo gave me a crocodile grin. "Sure. I'm not your best friend. I'm his evil clone."

"Leo Valdez!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "Problem back there?"

Leo winked at me as if he was up to something. "Watch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, Coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"

Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and continued giving directions, but his voice came out like Darth Vader's. The kids cracked up. The coach tried again, but this time the megaphone blared: "The cow says moo!"

The kids howled, and the coach slammed down the megaphone. "Valdez!"

Piper stifled a laugh. "My god, Leo. How did you do that?"

Leo slipped a tiny Phillips screw driver from his sleeve. "I'm a special boy."

Scratch that earlier about how he shouldn't be trusted with matches. Leo Valdez shouldn't be trusted with tools.

"Guys, seriously," I pleaded. "What am I doing here? Where are we going?"

Piper knit her eyebrows. "Jason, are you joking?"

"No! I have no idea—"

"Aw, yeah, he's joking," Leo said. "He's trying to get me back for that shaving cream on the Jell-O thing, aren't you?"

I stared at him blankly.

"No, I think he's serious." Piper tried to take my hand again, but I pulled it away.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't—I can't—"

"That's it!" Coach Hedge yelled from the front. "The back row has just volunteered to clean up after lunch!"

The rest of the kids cheered.

"There's a shocker," Leo muttered. I guess it wasn't the first time this happened.

But Piper kept her eyes on me, like she couldn't decide whether to be hurt or worried. It made me feel bad that I couldn't remember her even if I'm not sure if I did know her. "Did you hit your head or something? You really don't know who we are?"

I shrugged helplessly. "It's worse than that. I don't know who _I_ am."

…

The bus dropped us off in front of a big red stucco complex like a museum, just sitting in the middle of nowhere.

 _Maybe that's what it was: the National Museum of Nowhere,_ I thought.

A cold wind blew across the desert. I hadn't paid much attention to what he was wearing, but it wasn't nearly warm enough: jeans and sneakers, a purple T-shirt, and a thin black windbreaker.

"So, a crash course for the amnesiac," Leo said, in a helpful tone that made me think this was not going to be helpful. "We go to the 'Wilderness School'"—Leo made air quotes with his fingers. "Which means we're 'bad kids.' Your family, or the court, or whoever, decided you were too much trouble, so they shipped you off to this lovely prison—sorry, 'boarding school'—in Armpit, Nevada, where you learn valuable nature skills like running ten miles a day through the cacti and weaving daisies into hats! And for a special treat we go on 'educational' field trips with Coach Hedge, who keeps order with a baseball bat. Is it all coming back to you now?"

"No," I glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but I wondered what they' all done to get sentence to a school for delinquents, and I wondered why I belonged with them, if I belong here at all.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna play this out, huh? Okay, so the three of us started here together this semester. We're totally tight. You do everything I say and give me your dessert and do my chores—"

"Leo!" Piper snapped.

"Fine. Ignore that last part. But we _are_ friends. Well, Piper's a little more than your friend, the last few weeks—"

"Leo, stop it!" Piper's face turned red. I could feel my face burning too. If I did belong here, I thought I would remember if I'd been going out with a girl like Piper. Then again, I can't remember anything right now.

"He's got amnesia or something," Piper said. "We've got to tell somebody."

Leo scoffed. "Who, Coach Hedge? He'd try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head."

The coach was at the front of the group, barking orders and blowing his whistle to keep the kids in line; but every so often he'd glanced at me and scowl. I'm starting to wonder if he _would_ help me even if we asked.

"Leo, Jason needs help," Piper insisted. "He's got a concussion or—"

"Yo, Piper." One of the other guys dropped back to join us as the class was heading into the museum. The new guy wedged himself between Piper and me and knocked Leo down. "Don't talk to these bottom-feeders. You're my partner, remember?"

The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should've come with a warning label: do not stare directly at teeth. Permanent blindness may occur. He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God's gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere. I hated the guy instantly.

"Go away, Dylan," Piper grumbled. "I didn't ask to work with you."

"Ah, that's no way to be. This is your lucky day!" Dylan hooked his arm through hers and dragged her through the museum entrance. Piper shot one last look over her shoulder like, _911_.

Leo got up and brushed himself off. "I hate that guy." He offered me his arm, like we should go skipping inside together. "I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself, but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!"

"Leo," I said looking at him like he lost it, "you're weird."

"Yeah, you tell me that a lot," Leo grinned at me. "But if you don't remember me, that means I can reuse my old jokes. Come on!"

I figured that if Leo truly was my best friend, my life must be pretty messed up. Then again, if I truly am dating a girl like Piper, it must not be that bad either. So I followed Leo into the museum.

…

We walked through the building, stopping here and there for Coach Hedge to lecture us with his megaphone, which alternately made him sound like a Sith Lord or blare out random comments like "The pig says oink."

Leo kept pulling out nuts, bolts, and pipe cleaners from the pockets of his army jacket and putting them together, like he had to keep his hands bust at all times.

I was too distracted to pay much attention to the exhibit, but they were about the Grand Canyon and the Hualapai tribe, which owned the museum.

Some of the girls kept looking over at Piper and Dylan—mainly at Piper—and started snickering. I figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party.

One of them said, "Hey, Piper, does your tribe run this place? Do you get in free if you do a rain dance?"

The other girls laughed. Even Piper's so-called partner Dylan suppressed a smile. Piper's snowboarding jacket sleeves hid her hands, but I got the feeling she was clenching her fists.

"My dad's Cherokee," she said. "Not Hualapai. 'Course, you'd need a few brain cells to know the difference, Isabel."

Isabel widened her eyes in mock surprise, so that she looked like an owl with a makeup addiction. "Oh, sorry! Was your _mom_ in this tribe? Oh, that's right. You never knew your mom."

Piper charged her, but before a fight could start, Coach Hedge barked, "Enough back there! Set a good example or I'll break out my baseball bat!"

The group shuffled on the next exhibit, but the girls kept calling out little comments to Piper.

"Good to be back on the rez?"

"Dad's probably too drunk to work. That's why she turned klepto."

Piper ignored them, but I wanted to punch them. I might not remember Piper, or even who I was, but I knew I hated mean kids.

Leo caught my arm. "Be cool. Piper doesn't like us fighting her battles. Besides, if those girls found out the truth about her dad, they'd be all bowing down to her and screaming, 'We're not worthy!'"

"Why? What about her dad?"

Leo laughed in disbelief. "You're not kidding? You really don't remember that your girlfriend's dad—"

"Look, I wish I did, but I don't even remember _her_ , much less her dad."

Leo whistled. "Whatever. We _have_ to talk when we get back to the dorm."

We reached the far end of the exhibit hall, where some big glass doors led out to a terrace.

"All right, cupcakes," Coach Hedge announced. You are about to see the Grand Canyon. Try not to break it. The skywalk can hold the weight of seventy jumbo jets, so you featherweights should be safe out there. If possible, try to avoid pushing each other over the edge, as that would cause me extra paperwork."

The coach opened the doors and all of us stepped outside. The Grand Canyon spread before us, live and in person. Extending over the edge was a horseshoe-shaped walkway made of glass, so you could see right through it.

"Man," Leo said. "That's pretty wicked."

I have to agree. Despite my amnesia and the feeling that I didn't belong here, I couldn't help but be impressed.

The canyon was bigger and wider than you could appreciate from pictures. We were up so high that birds circled below their feet. Five hundred feet down, a river snaked around the canyon floor. Banks of storm clouds had moved overhead while we'd been inside, casting shadows like angry faces across the cliffs. As far as I could see in any direction, red and gray ravines cut through the desert like some crazy god had taken a knife to it.

A sudden pain pierced behind my eyes. _Crazy gods…_ How did I come up with that idea? I felt like I'd gotten close to something important—something I should know about. I also got the unmistakable feeling I was in danger, as if my senses woke up and went into a sudden alertness of my surrounding area.

"You all right?" Leo asked. "You're not going to throw up over the side, are you? 'Cause I should've brought my camera."

I grabbed the railing. I was shivering and sweaty, but it had nothing to do with heights. I blinked as the pain behind my eyes subsided.

"I'm fine," I managed. "Just a headache."

Thunder rumbled overhead. A cold wind almost knocked him sideways.

"This can't be safe." Leo squinted at the clouds. "Storm's right over us, but it's clear all the way around. Weird, huh?"

I looked up and saw Leo was right. A dark circle of clouds had parked itself over the skywalk, but the rest of the sky in every direction was perfectly clear. I had a bad feeling about that.

"All right, cupcakes!" Coach Hedge yelled. He frowned at the storm like it bothered him too. "We may have to cut this short, so get to work! Remember, complete sentences!"

The storm rumbled, and my head started to hurt again. Not knowing why he did it, he reached into my jeans pocket and brought out a coin—a circle of gold the size of a half-dollar, but thicker and more uneven. Stamped on one said was a picture of a battle-ax. On the other was some guy's face wreathed in laurels. The inscription sad something like ivlivs.

"Dang, is that gold?" Leo asked. "You been holding out on me!"

I put the coin away, wondering how I'd come to have it, and why I had the feeling I was to need it soon.

"It's nothing," I said. "Just a coin."

Leo shrugged. Maybe his mind had to keep moving as much as his hands. "Come on," he said. "Dare you to spit over the edge."

…

We didn't try very hard on the worksheet. I was too distracted by the storm and my own mixed up feelings. Not to mention I didn't have any idea how to "name three sedimentary strata you observe" or "describe two examples of erosion."

Leo was no help. He was too busy building a helicopter out of pipe cleaners.

"Check it out." He launched the copter. I figured it would plummet, but the pipe-cleaner blades actually spun. The little copter made it halfway across the canyon before it lost momentum and spiraled into the void.

"How'd you do that?" I asked.

Leo shrugged. "Would've been cooler if I had some rubber bands."

"Seriously," I said, "Are we friends?"

"Last I checked."

"You sure? What was the first day we met? What did we talk about?" I don't know how, but those questions seemed to right, as if it's proper to find out if I really belonged here and to see if I really do know Leo and Piper.

"It was…" Leo frowned. "I don't really recall exactly. I'm ADHD, man. You can't expect me to remember details."

"But I don't remember you _at all._ I don't remember anyone here. What if  
—"

"You're right and everyone else is wrong?" Leo asked. "You think you just appeared here this morning, and we've all got fake memories of you?"

A little voice in my head said, _That's exactly what I think._

But it did sound crazy. Everybody here took me for granted. Everyone acted like I was one of their classmates—except for Coach Hedge.

"Take the worksheet." I handed Leo the paper. "I'll be right back."

Before Leo could protested, I headed across the skywalk.

Our school group had the place to ourselves. Maybe it was too early in the day for tourist, or maybe the weird weather had scared them off. The Wilderness School kids had spread out in pairs across the skywalk. Most were joking around or talking. Some of the guys were dropping pennies over the side. About fifty feet away, Piper was trying to fill out her worksheet, but her stupid partner Dylan was hitting on her, putting him away, and when she saw me and gave me a look like, _Throttle this guy for me._

I motioned for her to hang on. I walked up to Coach Hedge who was leaning on his baseball bat, studying the storm clouds.

"Did you do this?" the coach asked me.

I took a step back. "Do what?" It sounded like the coach had just asked if I made the thunderstorm.

Coach Hedge glared at me, his beady little eyes glinting under the brim of his cap. "Don't play games with me, kid. What are you doing here, and why are you messing up my job?"

"You mean… you _don't_ know me?" I asked. "I'm not one of your students?"

Hedge snorted. "Never seen you before today."

I was so relieved I almost wanted to cry. At least I wasn't going insane. I _was_ in the wrong place. "Look, sir, I don't know how I got here. I just woke up on the school bus. All I know is I'm not supposed to be here."

"Got that right," Hedge gruff voice dropped to a murmur, like he was sharing a secret. "You've got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can't fool me. I've been smelling monster. You smell like a half-blood. So—who are you, and where'd you come from?"

Most of what the coach said didn't make sense to me, but I decided to answer honestly. "I don't know who I am. I don't have any memories. You've got to help me."

Coach Hedge studied me like he was trying to read my thoughts.

"Great," Hedge muttered. "You're being truthful."

"Of course I am! And what was all that about monsters and half-bloods? Are those code words or something?"

Hedge narrowed his eyes. Part of me wondered if the guy was just nuts. But the other part of me knew better.

"Look, kid," Hedge said. "I don't know who you are. I just know _what_ you are, and it means trouble. Now I got to protect three of you rather than two. Are you the special package? Is that it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Hedge looked at the storm. Clouds were getting thicker and darker, hovering right over the skywalk.

"This morning," Hedge said. "I got a message from camp. They said an extraction team is on the way. They're coming to pick up a special package, but they wouldn't give me details. I thought to myself, Fine. The two I'm watching are pretty powerful. I know they're being stalked. I can smell a monster in the group. So I figured they were special cases of half-bloods since they were older than most, and that's why the camp is suddenly frantic to pick them up. But then _you_ pop up out of nowhere. So, are you the special package?"

The pain behind my eyes got worse than ever. _Half-bloods. Camp. Monsters._ I still didn't know what Hedge was talking about, but the words gave me a massive brain freeze—like my mind was trying to access information that should've been there but wasn't.

I stumbled, and Coach Hedge caught me. For a short guy, the coach had hands like steel. "Whoa, there, cupcake. You say you got no memories, huh? Fine. I'll just have to watch you, too, until the team gets here. We'll let the director figure things out."

"What director?" I said. "What camp?"

"Just sit tight. Reinforcements should be here soon. Hopefully nothing happens before—"

Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up with a vengeance. Worksheets flew into the Grand Canyon, and the entire bridge shuddered. Kids screamed, stumbling and grabbing the rails.

"I had to say something," Hedge grumbled. He bellowed into his megaphone: "Everyone inside! The cow says moo! Off the skywalk!"

"I thought you said this thing was stable!" I shouted over the wind.

"Under normal circumstances," Hedge agreed, "which these aren't. Come on!"


	2. Jason's POV Part II

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **II. Jason's POV**

The storm churned into a miniature Hurricane. Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster.

Kids screamed and ran for the building. The wind snatched away their notebooks, jackets, hats, and backpacks. I skidded across the slick floor.

Leo lost his balance and almost toppled over the railing, but I grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.

"Thanks, man!" Leo yelled.

"Go, go, go!" said Coach Hedge.

Piper and Dylan were holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket was flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. I thought she must've been freezing, but she looked calm and confident—telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Leo, Coach Hedge, and I ran toward them, but it was like running through quicksand. The wind seemed to fighting us, pushing us back.

Dylan and Piper pushed one more kid inside, then lost their grip on the doors. They slammed shut, closing off the skywalk.

Piper tugged at the handles. Inside, kids pounded on the glass, but the doors seemed to be stuck.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouted.

Dylan just stood there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he was suddenly enjoying the storm.

"Sorry, Piper," he said. "I'm done helping."

He flicked the wrist and Piper flew backward, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" I tried to charge forward, but the wind was against me, and it didn't help that Coach Hedge was pushing me back.

"Coach!" I yelled. "let me go!"

"Jason, Leo, stay behind me," the coach ordered. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

"What?" Leo demanded. A rogue worksheet slapped him in the face, but he swatted it away. "What monster?"

The coach's cap blew off and sticking up above his curly hair, I saw two bumps—like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Dylan gave him a psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, _Coach_. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they _retired_ you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."

The coach made an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down."

"You think you can protect three half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan laughed. "Good luck."

Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him. Leo flew off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow he managed to twist in midair, and slammed sideways into the canyon wall. He skidded, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally, he grabbed a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk and hung there by his fingertips.

"Help!" he yelled up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"

Coach Hedge cursed and tossed me his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hope you're good. Keep that _thing_ busy"—he stabbed a thumb at Dylan—"while I get Leo."

"Get him how?" I demanded. "You going to fly?"

"Not fly. Climb." Hedge kicked off his shoes, and I almost had a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He had hooves—goat's hooves. Which meant those things on his head, I realized, weren't bumps. They were horns.

"You're a Faun," I said—having no idea how I knew what he was, or the fact that now I realized what he was something about him protecting us seemed wrong.

 _"Satyr!"_ Hedge snapped. "Fauns are Romans. But we'll talk about that later."

Hedge leaped over the railing. He sailed toward the canyon wall and hit hooves first. He bounded down the cliff with impossible agility, finding footholds no bigger than a postage stamp, dodging whirlwinds that tried to attack him as he picked his way toward Leo.

"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turned toward me. "Now it's your turn, boy."

I threw the club at him. It seemed useless with the winds so strong, but the club flew right at Dylan, even curving when he tried to dodge, and smacked him on the head so hard he fell to his knees.

Piper wasn't as dazed as she appeared. Her fingers closed around the club when it rolled next to her, but before she could use it, Dylan rose. Blood— _golden_ blood—trickled from his forehead.

"Nice try, boy." He glared at me. "But you'll have to do better."

The skywalk shuddered. Hairline fractures appeared in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stopped banging on the doors. They backed away, watching in terror.

Dylan's body dissolved into smoke, as if his molecules were coming unglued. He had the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form was suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouted black smoky wings and rose above the skywalk. If angels could be evil, I decided, they would look exactly like that.

"You're a _ventus_ ," I said, once again having no idea how I knew that word. "A storm spirit."

Dylan's laugh sounded like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said a third was coming—someone special. She'll reward me greatly for your death!"

Two more funnel clouds touched down on either side of Dylan and turned into _venti_ —ghostly men with smoky wings and eyes that flickered like lightning.

Piper stayed down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face was pale, but she gave me a determined look, and I understood the message: _Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind._

Cute, smart, _and_ violent. I wished I remembered having her as a girlfriend.

I clenched my fist and got ready to charge, but I never got a chance.

Dylan raised his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasted me in the chest.

 _Bang!_ I found myself flat on my back. My mouth tasted like burning aluminum foil. I lifted my head and saw that my clothes were smoking. The lightning bolt had gone through my body and blasted off my left shoe. My toes were black with soot. I should have been dead, I'm sure of that, and yet I survived the lightning bolt.

The storm spirits seem to not notice that I was still alive as they were laughing. Piper was screaming defiantly, but it all sounded far away. I don't think she would have noticed that I was alive either.

Out the corner of my eye, I saw Coach Hedge climbing the cliff with Leo on his back. Piper was on her feet, desperately swinging the club to fend off the two extra storm spirits, but they were just toying with her. The club went right through their bodies like they weren't there. And Dylan, a dark and winged tornado with eyes, loomed over me.

"Stop," I croaked. I rose unsteadily to my feet. The storm spirits were as surprise as I was that I was still alive.

"How are you alive?" Dylan's form flickered. "That was enough lightning to kill twenty men!"

"My turn," I said.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out the gold coin. I let my instincts take over, flipping the coin in the air as if I'd it a thousand times. I caught it in my palm, and suddenly I was holding a sword—a wickedly sharp double-edge weapon. The ridged grip fit in my fingers perfectly, and the whole thing was gold—hilt, handle, and blade.

Dylan snarled and backed up. He looked at his two comrades and yelled, "Well? Kill him!"

The other storm spirits didn't look happy with that order, but they flew at me, their fingers crackling with electricity.

I swung at the first spirit. My blade passed through it, and the creature's smoky form disintegrated. The second spirit let loose a bolt of lightning, but my blade absorbed the charge. I stepped in—one quick thrust, and the second storm spirit dissolved into gold powered.

I didn't know how I know how to do all that, but it felt natural. Like I been fighting for years.

Even Piper was so stunned that she dropped her club. "Jason, how…?"

Dylan wailed in outrage. He looked down as if expecting his comrades to reform, but their gold dust remains dispersed in the wind. "Impossible! Who _are_ you, half-blood?"

Then Coach Hedge leaped back onto the skywalk and dumped Leo like a sack of flour.

"Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellowed, flexing his short arms. Then he looked around and realized there was only Dylan.

"Darn it, boy!" he snapped at me. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"

Leo got to his feet, breathing hard. He looked completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are—I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"

Dylan hissed at them, but I could see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy _all_ demigods. This war you _cannot_ win."

Above them, the storm exploded into a full-force gale. Cracks expanded in the skywalk. Sheets of rain poured down, and I had to crouch to keep my balance.

A hole opened in the clouds—a swirling vortex of black and silver.

"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouted with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"

He lunged at me, but Piper tackled the monster from behind. Even though he was made of smoke, Piper somehow managed to connect. Both of them went sprawling. Leo, the coach, and I surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward. Coach Hedge and I landed on our butts. My sword skidded across the glass. Leo hit the back of his head and curled on his side, dazed and groaning. Piper got the worst of it. She was thrown off Dylan's back and hit the railing, tumbling over the side until she was hanging on by one hand over the abyss.

I wanted to save her, so I started toward her, but Dylan screamed, "I'll settle for this one!"

He grabbed Leo's arm and began to rise, towing a half-conscious Leo below him. The storm spun faster, pulling them upward like a vacuum cleaner.

"Help!" Piper yelled. "Somebody!"

Then she slipped, screaming as she fell.

"Jason, go!" Hedge yelled. "Save her!"

The coach launched himself at the spirit with some serious goat fu—lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach's arms instead. Hedge tried to head-butt him, then kicked him and called him cupcake. They rose into the air, gaining speed.

Coach Hedge shouted down at me once more, "Save her! I got this!" Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiraled into the clouds and disappeared.

 _Save her?_ I thought. _She's gone!_

But again my instincts won. I ran to the railing, thinking, _I'm a lunatic_ , and jumped over the side.

…

I wasn't scared of heights. I was scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. I figured I haven't accomplished anything except for dying along with Piper, but I tucked in my arms and plummeted headfirst. The sides of the canyon raced past like a film on fast-forward. My face felt like it was peeling off. And yet a small part of me felt as if this was natural, like I done it before.

In a heartbeat, I caught up with Piper, who was flailing wildly. I tackled her waist and closed my eyes, waiting for death. Piper screamed. The wind whistled in my ears. I wondered what dying would feel like. Not so good, I thought. I wished somehow they could never hit bottom.

Suddenly the wind died. Piper's scream turned into a strangled gasp. I doubt we were dead since I didn't felt any impact.

"J-J-Jason," Piper managed.

I opened my eyes. We weren't falling. We were floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river.

I hugged Piper tight, and she repositioned herself so she was hugging me too. We were nose to nose. Her heart beat so hard; I could feel it through her clothes.

Her breath smelled like cinnamon. She said, "How did you—"

"I didn't," I said. "I think I would know if I could fly…"

But then I thought: _I don't even know who I am._

I imagine going up. Piper yelped as we shot a few feet higher. We weren't exactly floating, I decided. I could feel pressure under my feet like we were balancing at the top of a geyser.

"The air is supporting us," I said.

"Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!"

I looked down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then I looked up. The rain had stopped. The storm clouds didn't seem as bad, but they were still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good. I had no idea what had happened to Coach Hedge. And I'd left Leo up there, barely conscious."

"We have to help them," Piper said, as if reading my thoughts. "Can you—"

"Let's see." I thought _Up_ , and instantly we shot skyward.

The fact I was riding the winds might've been cool under different circumstances, but I was too much in shock. As soon as we landed on the skywalk, we ran to Leo.

Piper turned Leo over, and he groaned. His army coat was soaked from the rain. His curly hair glittered gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he wasn't dead. As annoying Leo was, right now he's the closest thing to a friend I can't remember.

"Stupid… ugly… goat," he muttered.

"Where did he go?" Piper asked.

Leo pointed straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."

"Twice," I said.

Leo groaned even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the gold sword… I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?"

I had forgotten about the sword. I walked over to where it was lying and picked it up. The blade was well balance. I wonder…

I flip the sword, and in midspin the sword shrank back into a coin and landed in my palm.

"Yep," Leo said. "Definitely hallucinating."

Piper shivered in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, those things—"

 _"Venti,"_ I said. "Storm spirits."

"Okay. You acted like… like you'd seen them before. Who _are_ you?"

I shook my head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't know."

The storm dissipated. The other kids from the Wilderness School were staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards were working on the locks now, but they didn't seem to be having any luck.

"Coach Hedge said he had to protect three people," I remembered. "I think he meant us."

"And that thing Dylan turned into…" Piper shuddered. "God, I can't believe it was _hitting_ on me. He called us… what, _demigods_?"

Leo lay on his back, staring at the sky. He didn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what _demi_ means," he said. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly.

There was a brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk began to widen.

"We need to get off this thing," I said. "Maybe if we—"

"Ohhh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses.

At first I thought Leo _did_ hit his head too hard. Then I saw a dark shape descending from the east—too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer I could see a pair of winged animals—gray, four-legged, exactly like horses—except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. And they were pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

"Reinforcements," I said. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo struggled to his feet. "That sounds painful."

"And where are they extracting us _to_?" Piper asked.

I watched as the chariot landed on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking. Two teenage girls stood in the chariot—a tall blond girl who looked a year or two older than me. The other one was a year or two older than her with Raven hair. They both wore jeans and orange t-shirts, although the Raven hair girl made hers look like more of a fashion trend. The raven hair girl had a pink shield strapped to her back, but not the blonde girl.

The blonde hair girl leaped off before the chariot had even finished moving. The blonde hair girl pulled out a knife and ran toward Piper Leo and me while the raven hair girl was reining in the horses.

"Where is he?" the blonde girl demanded. Her gray eyes were fierce and a little startling.

"Where's who?" I asked.

She frowned like my answer was unacceptable. Then she turned to Leo and Piper. "What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?"

The coach's first name was Gleeson? I might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary. Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods (which still feels weird). Sure. Why not?

Leo cleared his throat. "He got taken by some… tornado things."

 _"Venti,"_ I said. "Storm spirits."

The blond girl arched an eyebrow. "You mean _anemoi thuellia_? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"

I did my best to explain, though it was hard to meet those intense gray eyes. During the talk I noticed the blond girl was wearing a wrist watch with a stop watch function but I didn't think much about it. About half way through the story, the other girl came over. The girl seemed to be the type to blend in with the popular clique but she gave each of us a friendly smile which I would guess meant that she wasn't as judgmental as the ones that were teasing Piper earlier.

When I finished the story, the blond girl didn't look satisfied. "No, no, no! She _told_ me he would be here. She told me if I came here, I'd find the answer."

"Annabeth calm down and relax, I'm sure there's an explanation," the raven hair girl told her friend. However when she said that I felt a sudden urge to do calm down and relax as well as wanting to agree with her. I quickly shook it off though.

I noticed that Piper was frowning when the raven hair girl said that, as if it reminded her of something.

The raven hair girl turned back to us and must of noticed something about me, or rather my feet because she asked me, "What happened to your shoe?"

With everything that happened, I forgot that I was still missing my left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. My bare foot felt okay, but it looked like a lump of coal.

"It was blow off during our battle," I explained.

"Annabeth," The girl said, "He could be the clue we're looking for."

"No, Silena," the other girl named Annabeth insisted. "He can't be. I was tricked." She glared at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" she screamed. "What have you done with him?"

The girl known as Silena sighed as if this wasn't the first time she heard her friend yelled at the sky like that.

The skywalk shuddered, and the horses whinnied urgently.

"Annabeth," Silena said, "we gotta leave. Let's get these three to camp and figured it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

Annabeth fumed for a moment. "Fine." She fixed at me with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later."

She turned on her heal and marched toward the chariot.

Piper shook her head. "What's _her_ problem? What's going on?"

"Seriously," Leo agreed.

Silena smiled at us sympathetically. "I'll explain on the way, but right now we need to get you three out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere with _her_." I gestured at toward the blonde. "She looked like she wants to kill me."

"Don't worry about Annabeth. She's actually really nice once you get to know her," Silena said, "She's just been stressed out and she had a vision telling her to come here, to find a guy with one shoe. That was supposed to be the answer to her problem."

"What problem?" Piper asked.

"She's been looking for her boyfriend, who been missing three days," Silena explained. "She hoped he'd be here."

"What's his name?" Jason asked.

"Percy Jackson," Silena replied.

* * *

 **A/N:** I switched Butch with Silena to leave with Annabeth since she's still alive. Butch will appear later.

By the way, that wrist watch is Percy's that spirals out to his shield. I'll explain later why Annabeth has it.


	3. Piper's POV Part I

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part One**

After a morning of Storm Spirits, goat men, flying boyfriends, I should've been losing my mind. Instead, all I felt was dread.

It's starting, I thought. Just like the dream said.

I stood in the back of the chariot with Leo and Jason, while the raven hair girl, Silena, handled the reins, and the blond girl, Annabeth, adjusted the bronze navigation device. We rose over the Grand Canyon and headed east, icy wind ripping straight through my jacket. Behind us, more storm clouds were gathering.

The chariot lurched and bumped. It had no seat belts and the back was wide open, so I wonder if Jason would catch me again if I fell. That had been the most disturbing part of the morning—not that Jason could fly, but that he'd held me in his arms and yet didn't know who I was.

All semester I'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice me as more than a friend. Finally, I'd gotten the big dope to kiss me. The last few weeks had been the best part of my life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything—that horrible voice, giving me horrible news. I hadn't told anyone about it, not even Jason.

Now I didn't even have _him_. It was like someone had wiped his memory, and I was stuck in the worst do over of all time. I wanted to scream. Jason stood right next to me: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face was kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stared at the horizon, not even noticing me.

Meanwhile, Leo was being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spit a pegasus feather out of his mouth before asking Silena, "So cutey, are you available?"

I rolled my eyes. Leo seem to go for any girl obviously out of his league.

"Sorry—Leo, was it? I have a boyfriend," Silena replied.

"Oh you do?" I asked sarcastically. I had expected Silena to be the stuck type like most popular girls I met before who would go for the cutest boy she met. She dressed like some of those girls. Not so much make up, but still, after having to deal with so many stuck up popular girls, I'm not the type of person to be friendly to a popular girl just because she seemed so kind until I know for sure their kindness isn't an act.

Plus there was something about how Silena tried to calm Annabeth down earlier that made me uneasy. It sounded like I do when I talk someone into giving me something, but more calm and in control than when me.

"A boyfriend, huh? Who is he like?" Leo edge on.

"You'll see when we get to camp," Silena replied.

"What is this camp?" I asked.

"A safe place," Annabeth said. "The _only_ safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" I raised my guard some more. I hated that word. I'd been called half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," Jason said. "Half god, half mortal."

Annabeth looked back. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Silena here is the daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty."

"Well you have the beauty down," Leo flirted.

"Leo, stop," I said, "She already turned you down."

"It's okay, Piper. I'm used to it," Silena said, "I'm also one of the camp's best equestrians and I worked well with pegasi."

"One of?" I asked.

Annabeth looked down when I asked that. I guess her boyfriend was another one of the best equestrians so I decided to drop it and went back to what Jason said earlier.

"So wait, back to earlier—you think you're… you think we're—"

Lightning flashed. The chariot, shuddered and Jason yelled, "Left wheel's on fire!"

I stepped back. Sure enough, the wheel was burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot.

The wind roared. I glanced behind us and saw dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling toward the chariot—except these looked more like horses than angels.

I started to say, "Why are they—"

" _Anemoi_ come in different shapes," Annabeth said. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to be rough."

Silena flicked the reins. The pegasi put a burst of speed, and the chariot blurred. My stomach crawled to my throat. My vision went black, and when it came back to normal, we were in a totally different place.

A cold gray ocean stretched out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below us was a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. I saw a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, a giant hearth, and a climbing wall that seemed to be on fire. But before I could really process what I was seeing, our wheels came off the chariot causing it to dropped out of the sky.

Annabeth and Silena tried to maintain control. The pegasi labored to hold the chariot in flight pattern, but they seemed exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of five people was just too much.

"No other choice, we're going to have to crash somewhere," Silena said.

"The lake," Annabeth suggested. "Aim for the lake!"

I remembered something my dad once told me about hitting water from up high being as bad as hitting cement.

And then— _BOOM._

The biggest shock was the cold. I was underwater, so disoriented that I didn't know which way was up.

I just had time to think: _This would be a stupid way to die._

The n faces appeared in the green murk—girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smiled at me, grabbed my shoulders, and hauled me up.

They tossed me onto the shore where I gasped for air and shivered. Nearby, Silena stood in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately the horses looked okay, but they were splashing water everywhere as Silena tried to calm them down. When she cut them free, the Pegasi flew off somewhere inland before she came ashore herself.

I guess she wasn't so bad if she's willing to stay in the water to save a couple of pegasi.

Jason, Leo, and Annabeth were already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody took me by the arm and helped me up. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because the detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf-blowers-looking things blasted me with hot air; and in about two seconds my clothes were dry.

There were at least twenty campers milling around—the youngest maybe nine, the oldest: eighteen or nineteen—and all of them had orange T-shirts like Annbeths said.

Nearby, big burly African-American guy with a permanent scowl on his face greeted Silena when she came ashore with a hug and kiss. My guess was that guy was Silena's boyfriend, which now made me feel bad about being sarcastic about Silena having a boyfriend earlier.

I looked back at the water and saw those strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They waved like, _toodle-ooi,_ and dispersed into the depths. A second later the wreckage of the chariot was tossed from the lake and landed nearby with a wet crunch.

"Annabeth!" a guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushed through the crowd. "Michael said you can _borrow_ the chariot, not destroy it!"

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighed. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."

Will scowled at his—or rather Michael's—broken chariot. Then he sized up Leo, Jason, and me. "These are the ones? They're way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Must be special cases," The Silena's boyfriend said. "The ones the gods were supposed to be planning to claimed and brought here."

"Special cases?" Leo asked. "Claimed?"

Before Annabeth could explained, Will asked. "Any sign of Percy?"

"No," Annabeth admitted.

The campers muttered. I had no idea who this guy Percy was, but his disappearance seemed to be a big deal.

"What is this place?" Jason asked, "Why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

"Jason," Annabeth said, "I promise we'll answer your questions. For now we have to make you guys feel welcome. We'll assign each of you a guide, give them a tour of the camp. Hopefully by campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."

"Would somebody tell me what _claimed_ means?" I asked.

Suddenly there was a collective gasp. The campers backed away. At first I thought I'd done something wrong. Then I realized their faces were bathed in a strange red light, as if someone had lit a torch behind me. I turned and almost forgot how to breath.

Floating over Leo's head was a blazing holographic image—a fiery hammer.

"That," Annabeth said, "is claiming."

"What do I do?" Leo backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. Is my hair on fire?" He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"Leo, you've just been claimed—"

"By a god," Jason interrupted. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All the eyes turned to him.

"Jason," Annabeth said carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demanded. "I don't even LIKE _Star Trek_. What are you talking about?"

Silena's boyfriend spoke up. "Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus god of blacksmiths and fire," he said, "Which makes you my new brother."

I had no clue what the guy meant with the last part. Leo looked nothing like him, plus I'm pretty sure Leo would have mention having siblings.

The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. "Who? God of _what_? And your new _WHAT_?"

Annabeth turned to the burly guy. "Beckendorf, will you take your new brother and give him a tour and introduce him to the rest of his new siblings in Cabin Nine?"

The big guy I guess was called Beckendorf nodded. He gave Silena a quick peck.

"What's Cabin Nine?" Leo asked. "And I'm not a Vulcan."

"Come on, I'll explain everything," Beckendorf put his big calloused hand on Leo's shoulder and steered him off.

Annabeth turned her attention back to Jason. I felt a bit of jealousy. As I mention earlier, usually I didn't like it when other girls checked out my boyfriend, but Annabeth didn't seem to care that he was a good looking guy. She studied him more like he was a complicated blueprint. Finally, she said, "Hold out your arm."

I saw what she was looking at, and my eyes widened.

Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm was a tattoo I never saw before. I must have looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just _appeared_ , but it was darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a bar code, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR.

"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth said. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them _a lot_ —almost like a declaration of war.

"They looked burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. "I mean… I think so. I don't remember."

No one said anything it was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.

"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth said. "I'll take him to the Big House. Silena, you think you could help Piper _settle_ in?"

The way Annabeth said _settle_ told me there was more to it than a basic tour.

Silena nodded. "Sure."

Annabeth headed off with Jason. After that the crowd dispersed, leaving me with Silena.

"Who's Chiron?" I asked. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"

Silena gave me a smile that was both kind and sympathetic (what's the deal with the sympathetic smiles?).

"I don't know, but hopefully Chiron can help," Silena said. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."


	4. Piper's POV Part II

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part 2**

Okay, I'll admit it, Silena is a better person than I expected and I was wrong to judge her from first glance.

Silena told me about all this amazing stuff the camp had to offer—magic archery, Pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters, and a whole lot of stuff. She showed me this beautiful garden that somehow was in such a good condition even during the winter—which she said was an memorial garden to Persephone known as: The Garden of Persephone II (It's referred to as II since the original one is in the Underworld from what I been told. She also showed me this Hearth that had a plaque that said: Hearth of Hestia, for the Former Olympian who stayed on Olympus.

Silena explained to me about the Second Titan War that happened last summer and how after it Annabeth's boyfriend Percy made sure Hades, Hestia, and the minor gods and goddesses were honored even if some didn't have half-blood children hence Persephone's Garden II and the Plaque for the Hearth of Hestia.

Silena also showed me the open-air dining pavilion that overlooked Long Island Sound. (Yes, Long Island, New York; we'd traveled _that_ far on a chariot. Silena explained how Camp Half-Blood was mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it was always crowded now, even in winter. She even said some campers—if they lived in the city or nearby—come to visit during the winter break and weekends as Beckendorf has from NYU.

I wondered who ran the camp, and how they'd known my friends and I belonged here. I wondered if I'll have to stay full-time, or I'll be any good at the activities. Could you flunk out of monster fighting?

As we climbed a hill at the edge of the forest, I turned and got an amazing view of the valley—a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins—a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek Omega, Ω, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. I counted twenty cabins in all. One glowed golden, another silver. One had a grass roof. Another was bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin was black with fiery green torches out front.

All of it seemed like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes, and the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god—a place for that god's children to live," Silena said.

"So you're saying my mom was a goddess?" I finally asked.

Silena nodded. "You're taking this well."

I couldn't tell her why. I couldn't admit that just confirmed some weird feelings I had for years, arguments I had with my father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell me exactly how or why my mom left us. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. _Soon they will find you, demigod,_ that voice had rumbled. _When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate and your father might live._

I took a shaky breath. "I guess after this morning, it's a little easier to believe. So who's my mom?"

"We should know soon," Silena said. "You must be a special case if your mom took her time to claim you though."

"Why do everyone call us special cases? What does that mean?" I asked.

"A couple years ago, Annabeth and Percy learned about Hephaestus having a child who he kept in a dark of his heritage," Silena said. "He didn't say much other than his son was a special case. Ever since then, we figured there might be more like him."

I nodded as I guess it made sense.

"Anyways, some of the Olympians are attracted to certain mortals. My mom, Aphrodite, has a taste in celebrities, Valentine store owner, etch," Silena said.

A shiver went down my back when I heard that.

"But the only sure fire way is if the Olympian sends you a sign," Silena said, "That's how they claim you."

"You mean like a fiery hammer?" I asked.

Silena nodded. "That's the sign of Hephaestus. Each Olympian has their own way to show a sign though some aren't really signs but rather a blessing. Aphrodite gives her kids a magical makeover."

That shiver deepened as I hoped that Aphrodite is not my mother. I don't do makeover.

"So I take it it's because of our cases, Coach Hedge was assigned to Leo Jason and me?" I asked.

"More like an act of fate," Silena said. "We send Satyrs out to search for demigods and bring them here. But now that you mention Coach Hedge, Clarisse will probably destroy every dummy in the arena when she finds out he was taken?"

"Who's Clarisse and why would she do that?" I asked.

"Clarisse is one of the head counsellor and daughter of Ares," Silena said, "As for why she would do that—well, he was her protector for a time."

I nodded. It seemed weird but I guess Hedge might have had over a dozen other demigods he protected here.

"So what happened to Coach Hedge?" I asked, "When he went up into the clouds, did he… is he gone for good?"

"Hard to say," Silena said. "Storm Spirits are difficult, and they been especially active after the war."

"Jason's sword turned two of them into dust," I remembered.

"He might have been lucky," Silena said, "But they're not gone forever. It takes time, but Monster do return: sometimes weeks, months, maybe years if you're lucky. But if the storm spirit Dylan took him, hard to tell. Plus Satyrs are immediately reincarnated as a tree or flower or some kind of plant after death."

That didn't make me feel better.

I gazed at the cabins below, and an uneasy feeling settled over me. Hedge might have died to get me here. My mom's cabin was down there somewhere, which meant I have brothers and sisters, more people to betray. _Do what we tell you,_ the voice said. _Or the consequences will be painful._ I tucked my hands under my arms, trying to stop them from shaking.

"It'll be okay," Silena promised, "You're with friends here. Everyone here been through weird stuff, so we know what you're going through."

I doubt that, I thought.

"I've been kicked out of five different schools the past five years," I said. "My dad's running out of places to put me."

"Piper, practically everyone been kicked out of multiple schools, or even ran away," Silena said. "Annabeth herself ran away when she was seven."

"Seriously?"

Silena nodded. "It's actually ended up being how Annabeth and Percy met, but you'll have to ask Annabeth about that."

I nodded getting the idea. It wasn't exactly the topic we should be talking about without Annabeth knowing.

"Most of demigods are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or dyslexia, or both—" Silena continued.

"Leo's ADHD," I said.

"Right. It's because we're hardwired for battle and the Dyslexia is because our brains are hardwired for Ancient Greek," Silena said, "Cause of it, most demigods get a bad rep amongst the mortals. Although if you're a child of Hermes, you tend to go with the bad rep."

"How so?" I asked.

"Hermes kids like to steal, pull pranks, basically anything they think would make their father proud," Silena said. "Especially since their father is god of thieves and practically creator pranks."

Somehow that didn't make me feel better. I been framed for stealing before, but truth was I never actually steal. Not that anybody believed me. I just ask the person give me stuff, like a BMW convertible, and they give it to me. Then later they realize what they'd done and call the police on me.

Truth was, I only did that kind of stuff to get my dad's attention. He works so much that I hardly ever see him, and lately when I do see him most of the time it doesn't end well.

But my dad is mortal, so I know I'm not one of Hermes' kids.

Then my thoughts went to who my mom might be. If my mom is a goddess, would she know about my dream? Would she know what I had been asked to do? I wondered if Olympian gods ever blasted their kids for being evil, or grounded them in the Underworld.

"Come on," Silena said. "There's one more place I should show you."

…

We hiked a little farther until we reached a cave near the top of the hill. Bones and old swords littered the ground. Torches flanked the entrance, which was covered in velvet curtains embroidered with snakes. It looked like a set for some kind of twisted puppet shows.

Annabeth must have arrived there before us, because she just stuck her head out as if she was peeking inside.

"Oh, hey guys," Annabeth greeted when she saw us.

"I thought you were with Jason," I said.

"Chiron wanted to talk to Jason alone and send me off." Annabeth spoke as if something about it bothered her. "Anyways, I thought I come up here to see if Rachel was here."

"Who?" I asked.

"Our oracle and friend. She stays here in this cave when she's here at camp," Silena explained. "Believe it or not behind the curtain, the cave is more luxurious than out here."

Silena pushed a skull out of the way in disgust. Throughout this tour I didn't think Silena was judgmental about anything, but I guess there are a few things that does bother her.

"I been expecting her for a few days," Annabeth explained. "I was hoping she could help me—"

"Find Percy?" I guessed.

All the energy drained out of Annabeth, like she'd been holding it together for as long as she could. She sat down on a rock, and her expression was so full of pain, I felt like a voyeur.

I forced myself to look away. My eyes drifted to the crest of the hill, where a single pine tree dominated the skyline. Something glittered in its lowest branch—like a fuzzy gold bath mat.

No… not a bath mat. It was a sheep's fleece.

Okay, I thought. Greek camp. They've got a replica of the Golden Fleece.

Then I noticed the base of the tree. At first I thought it was wrapped in a pile of massive purple cables. But the cables had reptilian scales, clawed feet, and a snakelike head with yellow eyes and smoking nostrils.

"That's—a dragon," I stammered. "That's the _actual_ Golden Fleece?"

"That's right," Silena replied. "It been powering the magical barrier for three years."

I wanted to ask how they got their hands on it, but I noticed that Annabeth looked like she was about to drop. Her shoulders droop and she rubbed her face and took a shaky breath. "Sorry. A little tired."

"Maybe you should head to your cabin and try to get some sleep," Silena said.

"I'm good," Annabeth insisted.

"How long have you been searching for your boyfriend?" I asked.

"Three days, six hours, and about twelve minutes," Annabeth replied.

"And you've got no idea what happened to him?"

Annabeth shook her head miserably. "We were so excited because we both started winter break early. Percy's mom dropped us off at camp on Tuesday, figured we had three weeks together. It was going to be great. Then after the campfire, he—he kissed me good night, went back to his cabin, and in the morning, he was gone. His sword, and thermos was gone too, but his shield was still there"—Annabeth rubbed her wristwatch when she said that— "We searched the whole camp. We contacted his mom. We've tried to reach him every way we know how. Nothing. He just disappeared."

 _Three days ago,_ I thought. The same night I had my dream. "How long were you guys together?"

"Since August," Annabeth said, "August eighteenth."

"Almost exactly when I met Jason," I said.

Annabeth and Silena winced as Annabeth turned to her friend. "You haven't told her yet?"

"I was waiting for the right time," Silena admitted.

I knew where this was going. Panic started building inside me, like my lungs were filling with water. "Look, I know Jason thought—he thought he just _appeared_ at our school today. But that's not true. I've known him for four months."

"Piper," Annabeth said sadly. "It's the Mist."

"Missed… what?"

"M-i-s-t," Silena said, "It's a kind of veil separating the mortal world from the magical world. Most mortal minds—they can't process strange stuff like gods and monsters, so the Mist bends reality. It makes mortals see things in a way they _can_ understand—like their eyes might just skip over this valley completely, or they might look at the dragon and see a pile of cables."

I swallowed. "No. You guys said it yourself. I'm not a regular mortal. I'm a demigod."

"Most demigods can be affected as well," Annabeth said. "I've seen it lots of times. Monsters infiltrate some place like a school, pass themselves off as human, and everyone _thinks_ they remember that person. They believed he's always been around. The Mist can change memories, even create memories of things that never happened—"

"But Jason's not a monster!" I insisted. "He's a human guy, or demigod, or whatever you want to call him. My memories aren't fake. They're _so_ real. The time we set Coach Hedge's pants on fire. The time Jason and I watched a meteor shower on the dorm roof and I finally got the stupid guy to kiss me…"

I found myself rambling, telling Annabeth and Silena about my whole semester at Wilderness School. I'd liked Jason from the first week we'd met. He was so nice to me, and so patient, he could even put up with hyperactive Leo and his stupid jokes. He accepted me for me and didn't judge me because of the stupid things I'd done. We'd spent hours talking, looking at the stars, and eventually— _finally_ —holding hands. All that _couldn't_ be fake.

Silena seemed thoughtful about what I said, but Annabeth pursed her lips. "Piper, your memories are a lot sharper than most. I'll admit that, and I don't know why that is—" Silena had a look that said she does, but she kept quiet as Annabeth continued. "—But if you know him so well—"

"I do!"

"Then where is he from?"

I felt like I'd been hit between the eyes. "He must have told me, but—"

"Did you ever notice his tattoo before today? Did he ever tell you anything about his parents, or his friends, or his last school?"

"I—I don't know, but—"

"Piper, what's his last name?"

My mind went blank. I didn't know Jason's last name. How could that be?

I started to cry. I felt like a total fool, but I sat down on the rock next to Annabeth and just fell to pieces. It was too much. Did _everything_ that was goo in my stupid, miserable life have to be taken away?

 _Yes,_ the dream had told me. _Yes, unless you do exactly what we say._

That's when Silena said something I won't forget. "Your memories is fake, but I don't think your feelings for Jason aren't."

I looked up at the raven hair daughter of Aphrodite. "What?"

"My mom, Aphrodite, is the goddess of love, and cause of it I can sense when someone's emotions are true or not," Silena explained. "And it seemed that although your memories of Jason were fake, you did fall in love with Jason cause of it."

"Is that possible?" I asked.

Annabeth shrugged. "First I heard of it, but I would guess so."

"Either way, Jason's here now, and who knows, it could work out for you two for real," Silena said.

I wanted to doubt the idea, but the way Silena said that gave me hope. But one question did come to my mind.

"If Jason really did just show up today, then why? How'd he get there? Why can't he remember anything?"

"Good questions," Annabeth said. "Hopefully Chiron can figure that out. But for now, we probably should head back down?"

I gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. My new home, a family who supposedly understood me—but as soon as they'd be just another bunch of people I'd disappointed, just another places I'll be kicked out of. _You'll betray them for us,_ the voice warned. _Or you'll lose everything._

I didn't have much of a choice.

"Yeah," I lied. "I'm ready."

…

We'd re reached the central green when Annabeth took care of the rest of my tour. Silena said she had Pegasus Riding lessons to attended too, but I think she wanted to also check on her boyfriend and Leo.

At a basketball court, a group of campers was playing basketball. They were incredible shots. Nothing bounced off the rim. Three-pointers went in automatically.

"Apollo's cabin," Annabeth explained. "Bunch of showoffs with missile weapons—arrows, basketballs."

We'd walked past the Hearth of Hestia, again, only this time two guys were there hacking at each other with swords.

"Real blades?" I noted. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"That's sort of the point," Annabeth said. "Uh, sorry. Bad pun. That's my cabin over there. Number Six." She nodded to a gray building with a carved owl over the door that seemed to be following us. Through the open doorway, Piper could see bookshelves, weapon display, and one of those computerized SMART Boards they have in classrooms. Two girls were drawing a map that looked like a battle diagram.

"Speaking of blades," Annabeth said. "come here."

She led me around the side of the cabin, to a big metal shed that looked like it was meant for gardening tools. Annabeth unlocked it, and inside were _not_ gardening tools, unless you wanted to make war on your tomato plants. The shed was lined with all sorts of weapons—from swords to spears to clubs like Coach Hedge's.

"Every demigod needs a weapon," Annabeth said. "Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena's all about strategy—matching the right weapon to the right person. Let's see…"

I didn't feel much like shopping for deadly objects, but I could tell Annabeth was trying to do something nice for me.

The first weapon Annabeth handed to me was a massive sword that I couldn't lift.

"No," both of us said at once.

Annabeth rummage a little farther in the shed and brought out something else.

"A shot gun?" I asked.

"Mossberg 500." Annabeth checked the pump action like it was no big deal. "Don't worry. It doesn't hurt humans. It's modified to shoot Celestial Bronze, so it only kills monsters."

"Um, I don't think that's my style," I said.

"Mmm, yeah," Annabeth agreed. "Too flashy."

She put the shotgun back and started poking through the rack of crossbows when something in the corner of the shed caught my eye.

"What is that?" I asked. "A knife?"

Annabeth dug it out and blew the dust off the scabbard. It looked like it hadn't seen the light of day in centuries, but I felt drawn to it.

"I don't know, Piper," Annabeth sounded uneasy. "I don't think you want this one. Swords are usually better."

"You use a knife." I pointed to the one strapped to Annabeth's belt.

"Yeah, but…" Annabeth shrugged. "Well, take a look if you want."

The sheath was worn black leather, bound in bronze. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. The polished wood handle fit beautifully in my hand. When I unsheathed it, I found a triangular blade eighteen inches long—bronze gleaming like it had been polished yesterday. The edges were deadly sharp. My reflection in the blade caught me by surprise. I looked older, more serious, not as scared as I felt.

"It suits you," Annabeth admitted. "That kind of blade is called a parazonium. It was mostly ceremonial, carried by high-ranking officers in the Greek armies. It showed you were a person of power and wealth, but in a fight, it could protect you just fine."

"I like it," I said. "Why didn't you think it was right?"

Annabeth exhaled. "That blade has a long story. Most people would be afraid to claim it. Its first owner… well, things didn't turn out too well for her. Her name was Helen."

I was surprised as it sank in. "Wait, you mean _the_ Helen? Helen of Troy?"

Annabeth nodded.

Suddenly I felt like I should be handling the dagger with surgical gloves. "And it's just sitting in your toolshed?"

"We're surrounded by Ancient Greek stuff," Annabeth said. "This isn't a museum. Weapons like that—they're meant to be used. They're our heritage as demigods. That was a wedding present from Menelaus, Helen's first husband. She named the dagger Katoptris."

"Meaning?"

"Mirror," Annabeth said. "Looking glass. Probably because that's the only thing Helen used it for. I don't think it's ever seen battle."

I looked at the blade again. For a moment, my image stared up at me, but then the reflection changed. I saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved the bedrock. I heard the same laughter I heard in my dreams. I saw my dad in chains, tied to a post in front of a roaring bonfire.

I dropped the blade.

"Piper?" Annabeth shouted to the Apollo kids on the court, "Medic! I need some help over here!"

"No, it's—it's okay," I managed to say."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just…" I had to control myself. With trembling fingers, I picked up the dagger. "I just got overwhelmed. So much happening today. But… I want to keep the dagger, if that's okay."

Annabeth hesitated. Then she waved off the Apollo kids. "Okay, if you're sure. You turned really pale, there. I thought you were having a seizure or something."

"I'm fine," I promised, though my heart was still racing. "Is there… um, a phone at camp? Can I call my dad?"

Annabeth's gray eyes were almost as unnerving as the dagger blade. She seemed to be calculating a million possibilities, as if trying to read my thoughts.

"We aren't allowed phones," she said. "Most demigods, if they use a cell phone, it's like sending up a signal, letting monsters know where you are. But… I've got one." She slipped it out of her pocket. "Kind of against the rules, but it can be our secret…"

I took it gratefully, trying not to let my hands shake. I stepped away from Annabeth and turned to face the common area.

I called my dad's private line, even though I knew what would happen. Voice mail. I'd been trying for three days, ever since the dream. Wilderness School only allowed phone privileges once a day, but I tried to call my dad every evening and gotten nowhere.

Reluctantly I dialed the other number. My dad's personal assistant answered immediately—probably because she didn't think I would use a borrowed phone since Wilderness School doesn't allow them. "Mr. McLean's office."

"Jane," I said, gritting my teeth. "Where's my dad?"

Jane was silent for a moment, probably wondering if she could get away with hanging up. "Piper, I thought you weren't supposed to call from school."

Oh, like you don't know I get one phone privilege a day there since you were the one who recommended the school to my dad, I thought.

Instead I said, "Maybe I'm not at school. Maybe I ran away to live among the woodland creatures."

"Mmm," Jane didn't sound concern. "Well, I'll tell him you called."

"Where is he?"

"Out."

"You don't know, do you," I lowered my voice, hoping Annabeth was too nice eavesdrop. "When are you going to call the police, Jane? He could be in trouble."

"Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."

"So it's true. You _don't_ know—"

"I have to go, Piper," Jane snapped. "Enjoy school.

The line went dead and I cursed. Why did dad hire her in the first place, I would never understand. I walked back to Annabeth and handed her the phone.

"No luck?" Annabeth asked.

I didn't answer. I didn't trust myself not to start crying again.

Annabeth glanced at the phone display and hesitated. "Your last name is McLean? Sorry, it's not my business. But that sounds really familiar."

"Common name."

"Yeah, I guess. What does your dad do?"

"He's got a degree in the arts," I said automatically. "He's a Cherokee artist."

That's my standard response whenever someone asked. It's not a lie, just not the whole truth. Most people, when they heard that, figured my dad sold Indian souvenirs at a roadside stand on a reservation. Sitting Bull bobble-heads, wampum necklaces, Big Chief tablets—that kind of thing."

"Oh," Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she put the phone away. "You feeling okay? Want to keep going?"

I fastened my new dagger to my belt and promised myself that later, when I'm alone, I'll figure out how it worked. "Sure," I said. "I want to see everything."

…

All the cabins were cool, but none of them struck me as _mine_ , and no sign has appeared over my head yet.

Cabin Eight was entirely silver and glowed like moonlight.

"Artemis?" I guessed.

"You know Greek mythology," Annabeth said.

"I did some reading on my free time last year," I said.

"Okay," Annabeth continued, "Artemis is the goddess of the moon and hunting. But no campers. Artemis was an eternal maiden, so she doesn't have any kids."

"Oh." That kind of bummed me out. I'd always liked the stories of Artemis, and figured she would be a cool mom.

"Well, there _are_ the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth amended. "They visit sometimes—actually more often lately. They're not the children of Artemis, but they're her handmaidens—this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff."

I perked up. "That sounds cool. They get to be immortal?"

"Unless they die in combat, or break their vows. Did I mention they have to swear off dating boys for eternity."

"Oh," I said. "Never mind."

Annabeth laughed. For a moment she looked happy, and I thought she'd be a cool friend to hang out with in better times.

Forget it, I reminded myself, You're not going to make any friends here. Not once they find out."

We passed the next cabin, Number Ten, which was decorated like a Barbie house with lace curtains, a pink door, and potted carnations in the windows. They walked by the doorway, and the smell of perfume almost that made me want to gag.

"Gah, is that where supermodels go to die?"

Annabeth smirked. "Aphrodite's cabin."

"Silena's mom? Silena lives here?" I asked.

"Not only that, but Silena is actually the Head Counsellor of Aphrodite's Cabin," Annabeth said.

"How does that work out?"

"Well, usually the Head Counsellor is the oldest camper in the cabin, but if there's a camper in there that has the most experience—like say has been a camper the longest or been on the most quest than their siblings, if the Previous Head Counsellor agrees he or she can take their place, or they can challenge the Head Counsellor to a duel for the position," Annabeth said, "Come on, we should keep moving."

We looked at the other cabins, but I just got more depressed. I wondered if I could be the daughter of Demeter, the farming goddess. Then again, I killed every plant I ever touched. Athena was cool. Or maybe Hecate, the goddess of Magic. Nemesis, Iris, Hebe, Nike, and Tyche didn't seem not too bad either.

But it didn't really matter. Even, here where everyone was supposed to find a lost parent, I knew I would still end up the unwanted kid. I was not looking forward to being claimed.

"We started the twelve Olympian gods," Annabeth explained. "Male gods on the left females on the right, except for Dionysus'. His cabin was placed on the right side since his throne originally belonged to Hestia."

"Makes sense, I guess," I said.

"Anyways, last year, we added a whole bunch of new cabins for the gods who have children but doesn't have a throne. We even have memorials for those who don't have kids."

"Like the plaque at Hestia's Hearth, and Persephone's Garden II," I responded.

"Right," Annabeth said.

"So what are the two big ones on the end?" I asked about what seemed to be like his-and-her cabins that almost looked similar to each other while the others were different all together.

Annabeth frowned. "Zeus and Hera. King and queen of the gods."

I headed toward the cabins, and Annabeth followed, though she didn't act very excited. Zeus' cabin reminded me of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.

Hera's cabin was smaller but done in the same style, except the doors were carved with peacock feather designs, shimmering in different colors.

Unlike the other cabins, which were all noisy and open and full of activity, Zeus' and Hera's cabins looked closed and silent.

"Are they empty?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Zeus went a long time without having children. Well, mostly. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, the eldest brothers among the gods—they're called the Big Three. Their kids are really powerful, really dangerous. For the last seventy years or so, they tried to avoid having demigod children."

" _Tried_ to avoid it?"

"Sometimes they… um, cheated. My boyfriend Percy, he's a son of Poseidon. Then we have a friend, Thalia Grace, who's the daughter of Zeus. But she gave up camp life and became a Hunter of Artemis. She also has a lieutenant name Bianca who is the daughter of Hades. Not to mention, Bianca has a brother name Nico who show up sometimes. Oh, and I almost forgot that Thalia has a brother, another son of Zeus, that—the last I know of—was still missing." The way Annabeth said it seemed as if she was uncertain if it was true or not anymore. "So other than them, there are no demigod children of the Big Three gods. At least, not that we know of."

I tried to process the information. "Wait, Zeus has a missing son?"

Annabeth shrugged. "It's a long story, and to be honest, I'm not even sure what exactly happened. I don't think even Thalia is a hundred percent sure."

The answer left me confused, but I decided to change topics. "What about Hera?" I asked looking back at the peacock-decorated doors. The cabin bothered me, though I wasn't sure why.

"Goddess of marriage," Annabeth's tone was carefully controlled, like she was trying to avoid cursing. "She doesn't have kids with anyone but Zeus. So, yeah, no demigods. The cabin's just honorary."

"You don't like her," I noticed.

"We have a long history," Annabeth admitted. "I thought we'd made peace, but when Percy disappeared… I got this weird dream vision from her."

"Telling you to come get us," I said. "But you thought Percy would be there."

"It's probably better I don't talk about it," Annabeth said. "I've got nothing good to say about Hera right now."

I looked down at the base of the doors. There were footprints on the dusty threshold. "So who goes in here?"

"No one. The cabin is just honorary, like I said. No one goes in."

"Someone does." I point out the footprints. On instinct, I pushed the doors and they swung open easily.

Annabeth stepped back. "Um, Piper, I don't think we should—"

"We're supposed to do dangerous stuff, right?" And with that I walked inside.

…

I decided immediately that Hera's cabin was not the place I want to live in. It was as cold as a freezer, with a circle of white columns around a central statue of the goddess, ten feet tall, seated on a throne in flowing golden robes. I always thought of Greek statues as white with blank eyes, but this one was brightly painted so it looked almost human—except huge. Hera's piercing eyes seemed to follow me as I walked.

At the goddess' feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier, which makes me wonder why the cabin was so cold. I also wonder who tend to the fire if the cabin was always empty. A stone hawk sat on Hera's shoulder, and in her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. The goddess' hair was done in black plaits. Her face smiled, but the eyes were cold and calculating, as if she were saying: _Mother knows best. Now don't cross me or I will have to step on you._

There was nothing else in the cabin—no beds, no furniture, no bathroom, no windows, nothing that anyone could actually use to live. For a goddess of home and marriage, Hera's place reminded me of a tomb.

No, this wasn't my mom. At least I was sure of _that_. But I didn't come in here because I felt a good connection, but because my sense of dread was stronger here. My dream—that horrible ultimatum I'd been handed—had something to do with this cabin.

I froze. We weren't alone. Behind the statue, at a little altar in the back, stood a figure covered in a black shawl. Only her hands were visible, palms up. She seemed to be chanting something like a spell or prayer.

Annabeth gasped. "Rachel?"

The other girl turned. She dropped her shawl, revealing a mane of curly red hair and a freckled face that didn't go with the seriousness of the cabin or the black shawl at all. She looked about seventeen, a totally normal teen in a green blouse and tattered jeans covered with marker doodles. Despite the cold floor, she was barefoot.

"Hey!" She ran to give Annabeth a hug. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could."

They talked for a few minutes about Annabeth's boyfriend and how there was no news, et cetera, until Annabeth remembered that I was still here, now feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm being rude," Annabeth apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."

"The one that lives in the cave?" I guessed.

Rachel grinned like I wasn't the first one to guess that. "That's me."

"So you're an oracle?" I asked. "You can tell the future?"

"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."

"Oh," I said feeling less comfortable now as I shifted from foot to foot. "That's cool."

Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."

"You're a demigod?"

"Nope," Rachel said, "Just mortal."

"Then what are you…" I waved my hand around the room.

Rachel's smile faded. She glanced at Annabeth, then back to me. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."

"Went silent?" I asked.

Rachel frowned at Annabeth. "You haven't told her yet?"

"Silena was Piper's first guide around camp, so I guess she was easing Piper into it," Annabeth explained, "I was planning to tell her though just in case."

"What?" I asked.

Annabeth sighed. "Piper, for the last month… well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."

"Excuse me?"

"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."

"Oh," I said, "Sure, why not?"

"Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—"

"Anyway," Annabeth said, "starting a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."

"Your camp director was the god of… wine?"

"Yeah, it's a—"

"Long story," I already guessed. "Right. Go on."

"That's it, really," Annabeth said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening."

"They did all that without warning," I said.

"Didn't you say Hermes once dropped a little clue about it?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, but he stopped himself before Percy and I could get any info from him," Annabeth explained. "Either way, something has happened that the gods are keeping quiet about—something bad. Then Percy disappeared."

"And Jason showed up on our field trip," I supplied. "With no memory."

"Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.

"My—" I stopped myself before I could say boyfriend. As much as I hoped what Silena said was true about my feelings, it still hurt that Jason never was my boyfriend. "Friend."

Rachel nodded but frowned a bit. "Jason—wasn't that the name of Thalia's lost brother? The one Hera supposedly took away."

Annabeth nodded.

"Wait, the lost son of Zeus is named Jason?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded. "After Hera's favorite hero." She then turned to Rachel. "Are you thinking that—"

However, Annabeth didn't have the chance to finish as Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a greenish light, and she grabbed me by the shoulders.

I tried to back away, but Rachel's hands were like steel clamps.

 _Free me,_ she said. But it wasn't Rachel's voice. It sounded like an older woman, speaking from some somewhere far away, down a long, echoing pipe. _Free me Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice._

The room started spinning. Annabeth tried to separate us, but it was no use. Green smoke enveloped us, and I was no longer sue if I was awake or dreaming. The giant statue of the goddess seemed to rise from its throne. It leaned over me, its eyes boring into me. The statue's mouth opened, its breath like horribly thick perfume. It spoke in the same echoing voice: _Our enemies stir. The fiery one is only the first. Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. FREE ME!_

My knees buckled, and everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N:** I switched back to Annabeth so Piper get to know Annabeth since they're all part of the same quest of the Prophecy of Seven.


	5. Leo's POV Part I

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part 1**

My tour was going great until I learned that my cabinmates have their own dragon.

I could tell right away that my new brother Beckendorf (still getting use to the idea that I have a brother now) was mostly a silent type, but when he talked I couldn't help but listen, and believe me, that's not an easy thing to do. Coach Hedge use to threaten to whack me with the baseball bat just to get me to listen to him.

Anyways, Beckendorf showed me some amazing stuff that I'm sure would have been illegal. There were real Greek war ships, an arts of crafts session where you can use chain saws and blowtorches, woods stocked with dangerous monsters that no one should go in there alone, et cetera. To top that off, the camp was overflowing with fine-looking girls. Beckendorf tried to explain how the Olympian family works out, but all I understood was that as long as the girls weren't my half-sister, you can date them.

Beckendorf showed me the cabins, the dining pavilion, and the sword arena.

"Do I get a sword?" I asked.

"Actually, being a son of Hephaestus, you can make your own sword," Beckendorf said.

"Festus?" I asked, "Sounds like a god of cowboys."

" _He-_ phaestus," Beckendor corrected. "God of blacksmiths and fire."

I remembered that part, but I was trying not to think about it. The god of fire… seriously? Considering what had happened to my mom, that seemed like a sick joke.

"Is something wrong?" Beckendorf asked.

I wanted to lie, but the way Beckendorf looked at me made me want to at least stretch the truth.

"I don't normally associate with fire," I replied. "Not since my mom died in one."

I didn't know if Beckendorf fell for it, it's hard to tell with his permanent scowl, but he nodded.

"Don't worry about it. It's rare for children of Hephaestus to have power over fire," Beckendorf said. "Now, let's get you a bunk before you meet the rest of your siblings."

…

We were halfway across the green when I spotted my old babysitter. And she was _not_ the kind of person I expected to see at a demigod camp.

I froze in my tracks.

"What's wrong?" Beckendorf asked.

Tía Callida— _Auntie_ Callida. That's what she'd called herself, but I haven't seen her since I was five years old. She was just standing there, in the shadow of a big white cabin at the end of the green, watching me. She wore her black linen widow's dress, with a black shawl pulled over her hair. Her face hadn't changed—leathery skin, piercing dark eyes. Her withered hands were like claws. She looked ancient, but no different than I remembered her.

"That old lady…" I said. "What's she doing here?"

Beckendorf looked where I was staring. "What old lady?"

"Dude, _the_ old lady. The one in black. How many old ladies do you see over there?"

Beckendorf frowned. "I don't see any old lady, Leo."

I looked back at the white cabin to point Tía Callida out, but she was gone. I was _sure_ she'd been there, almost as if bringing up my mom had summoned Callida from the past. And that wasn't good, because Tía Callida had tried to kill me.

"It must be a trick of the Mist," Beckendorf said. "The Mist effects most demigods as well as mortals."

I wanted to protest, but decided against it. Instead I pulled out some gears and levers from my pockets and started fiddling with them to calm my nerves."

This made Beckendorf smile slightly. "You truly are a son of Hephaestus."

"What?" I asked.

Beckendorf pointed at my gear and levers. "It's not uncommon for children of Hephaestus to carry tools on us. We never know when we need them, no matter if it's to keep us occupied, or just to calm our nerves. It's a trait we get from our father."

That made me relax as well as embarrassed. I never thought of it as something I shared with my dad.

"Well, I guess we should get me situated so I can meet the rest of my siblings," I said.

…

From the outside, the Hephaestus cabin looks like an oversized RV with shiny metal walls and metal slatted windows. The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulics pistons blowing smoke.

I whistled. "You guys got a steampunk theme going on, huh?"

Beckendorf shrugged as we headed into the cabin.

Inside, the cabin seemed deserted. Steel bunks were folded against the walls like high-tech Murphy beds. Each had a digital control panel, blinking LED lights, glowing gems, and interlocking gears. I figured each camper had his own combination lock to release his bed, and there was probably an alcove behind it with storage, maybe some traps to keep out unwanted visitors. At least, that's the way I would've designed it. A fire pole came down from the second floor, even though the cabin didn't appear to _have_ a second floor from the outside. I guess it was either where my brothers or sisters stay at or something if I had sisters here. A circular staircase led down into some kind of basement.

The walls were lined with every kind of power tool I could imagine, plus a huge assortments of knives swords, and other implements of destruction. A large workbench overflowed with scrap metal—screws, bolts, washers, nails, rivets, and a million other machine parts. I had a strong urge to shovel them all into my coat pockets. I loved that kind of stuff. But I would need a hundred more coats to fit it all.

Looking around, I could almost imagine myself back in my mom's machine shop. Not the weapons, maybe—but the tools, the piles of scrap, the smell of grease and metal and hot engines. She would've loved this place.

I pushed that thought away immediately. The thought of my mother always brought bad memories, and I already pushed it by bringing up my mom earlier.

 _Keep moving_ —that's my motto. Don't dwell on thins. Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way I have manage to stay was ahead of the sadness this long.

Beckendorf said. "Welcome to Cabin Nine."

The first thing I picked up was a jar of greyish gunk like stuff. Out of curiosity I opened it and immediately closed it due to the stinch.

"Gah! What is this gunk? And why does it smell like rotting uncooked meat," I said.

Beckendorf suppressed a smile. "That's Myrmekes gunk, a mixture of rotting meat and other stuff you don't want to know from Myrmekes hills. They're hard and dangerous to get though."

I had no clue what Myrmekes were, but I asked, "Then why do you keep it?"

"It makes a good monster repellent."

"You're joking right?"

"I'm not," Beckendorf said, "It's really hard to cover up demigod scent. But this stuff proven to be resourceful. You can keep that jar if you want."

I wanted to say no way, but I decided to go ahead and keep it as I stashed it away in one of my pockets.

I looked around and saw we were the only ones here. "Where is everyone?"

"Most likely at the forges," Beckendorf said. "That's where we'll be going next, after we get you a bunk."

I expected Beckendorf to unlock one of the bunks attach to the walls, but instead, he yelled, "Bunk 1-E, please."

The whole cabin rumbled. A circular section of the floor spiraled open like a camera lens, and a full-size bed popped up. The bronze frame had a built-in game station at the footboard, a stereo system as well as an empty glass door refrigerator mounted in the base, and a whole bunch of control panels running down the side.

I jumped right in and lay back with arms behind my head. "I can handle this."

"Each bed has a built in electronics so we can have fun when we're not training or working at the forges," Beckendorf said, "But most of this stuff isn't allowed in camp, which is why they retract to private rooms in secret tunnels that only children of Hephaestus and a few selective others knows about."

"Oh, heck yes," I said. "See y'all. I'll be down in the Leo Cave. Which button do I press."

"I'll show you later," Beckendorf said, "Right now we still need to get you introduced with the rest of our siblings."

I sighed as I got off my bed before leaving with Beckendorf. I guess I'll have to enjoy the Leo Cave while I can later. Still, it was pretty awesome that I get my own room.

I couldn't help but wonder who knows about the underground caves. I wonder if Beckendorf's cute girlfriend knows about it.

* * *

 **A/N:** I change the Leo's bunk number since Beckendorf is alive.


	6. Leo's POV Part II

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I forgot to mention the last chapter, this chapter and the next chapter would be going back and forth through out the same day just in different POV.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part 2**

On the way to the forges, Beckendorf told me about how Hephaestus Cabin used to have one of the smallest number of campers in it until after the Titan War when Percy Jackson had all the Olympians start claiming all their kids. Apparently the gods who took their time claiming their kids almost led to Olympus' own down fall as those who spend weeks to years not being claimed felt resentful enough that they were willing to betray their Olympian parent.

Beckendorf also had to fill me in with the Titan War and the events caused by it that I missed while being on the run.

While we talk, I keep hearing that name—Percy Jackson, Annabeth's missing boyfriend.

"I take it Percy is popular here?" I asked.

"He led us to victory in the Battle of Manhattan," Beckendorf explained. "Not to mention Percy been here since he was seven years old, so many of us veteran demigods knew him for a long time."

Dang, if Percy been here since he was seven and led the camp to victory, no wonder if he's popular here.

"Here we are," Beckendorf said.

The forge looked like a steam-powered locomotive had smashed into the Greek Parthenon and they fused together. White marble columns lined the soot-stained walls. Chimneys pumped some over an elaborate gable carved with a bunch of gods and monsters. The building sat at the edge of a stream, with several waterwheels turning a series of bronze gears. I heard machinery grinding inside, fires roaring and hammers ringing on anvils.

We stepped through the doorway, and over a dozen guys and girls who'd been working on various projects all froze. The noise died down to the roar of the forge and the _click-click-click_ of the gears and levers.

"Hello, guys," Beckendorf greeted. "This is our new brother Leo Valdez."

I couldn't help but look around at the other campers. Was I really relate to all of them? My cousins came from some big families, but it always just been my mom and me—until she died.

Kids came up and started shaking hands and introducing themselves. Their names blurred together: Jake, Shane, Christopher, Nyssa, Harley (yeah, like the motorcycle). There were so many names, I couldn't keep up with all of them.

None of them looked like the others—all different face types, skin tones, hair color, height. You'd never think, _Hey, look, it's the Hephaestus Bunch!_ But they all had powerful hands, rough with calluses and stained with engine grease. Even little Harley, who couldn't have been more than eight, looked like he could go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat. All the kids also had the same serious expression as Beckendorf as well, I noticed.

After everyone greeted me, Beckendorf showed me around the forges.

I'll admit, I was no stranger to workshops. I've grown up around grease monkeys and power tools. My mom used to joke that my first pacifier was a lug wrench. But I'd never seen any place like the camp forge.

Everyone was working on some kind of project with a metal Beckendorf called Celestial Bronze, which is deadly to monsters. One made a battle axe, while two other were trying to make a magic bug killer.

"Yo Beckendorf," a big guy I think his name was Jake said, "The dragon needs a tune up, again."

"Dragon? What dragon?" I asked.

"A bronze dragon," Beckendorf said. "It's a life size automaton our cabin built years ago. Silena Annabeth Percy and I found it last summer and after replacing the control disc and a few remodeling, I got it working. However, the problem is the dragon's body frame is old and falling apart, and I can't get it to the forges to get it fix without it trying to breath fire on everyone."

"Dang," I responded. "Wait, what about the power over fire? Beckendorf, you said it's a rare power, right? Was there demigods with that power?"

"Not in a long time, Leo," Beckendorf replied.

"A good thing if you ask me," Jake said. "The last one—Thomas Faynor—he couldn't control his power very well and caused the Great Fire in London, destroyed most of the city. In fact, whenever a child of Hephaestus appeared with that power, normally means something big and catastrophic is about to happen."

I tried to keep my face clear of emotions, which isn't my strongest suits.

A conch horn blew in the distance. Campers started putting up their tools and projects. I didn't even realize it was getting so late, but I looked through the windows and saw the sun going down. My ADHD did that to me sometimes. If I was bores, a fifty-minute class like six hours. If I were interested in something, like touring a demigod camp, hours slipped away and _bam_ —the day was over.

"Dinner," said Beckendorf. "Come on, Leo."

"Up at the pavilion, right?" I asked.

Beckendorf nodded.

"You guys go ahead," I said. "Can you… give me a second?"

Beckendorf nodded. "Sure, kid. Come up when you're ready. Just don't touch anything. Almost every project can be deadly to a demigod if they're not careful."

"Right," I said.

My cabinmates filed out of the forge. Soon I was alone with the sound of the bellows, the waterwheels, and small machines clicking and whirling.

I remembered what Beckendorf said about how rare it is to control fire. Unlike Jake, he said it as it was a special gift. But I still couldn't help but remember what Jake said.

I held out my hand and studied my fingers. They were long and thin, not callused like the other Hephaestus campers. I had never been the biggest or the strongest kid. I survived in tough neighborhoods, tough schools, tough foster homes using wits. I was the class clown, the court jester, because I'd learned early that if you cracked a few jokes and pretended you weren't scared, you usually didn't get beat up. Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain. And if that didn't work, there was always Plan B. Run away. Over and over.

There _was_ a Plan C, but I'd promised myself never to use it again after what happened to my mom. And yet, I felt the urge to try it. I remember everyone mentioning about me being a special case, maybe this was why.

I extended my fingers and felt them tingle, like they were waking up—pins and needles. Then flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across my palm.


	7. Jason's POV Part III

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part 3**

( **A/N:** This chapter would start off earlier the same day Piper and Leo had their tours)

As soon as I saw the house, I knew I was a dead man.

"Here we are!" Annabeth said, "The Big House, camp headquarters."

It didn't look threatening, just a four-story manor painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had lounge chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. White chimes shaped like nymphs turned into trees as they spun. I could imagine old people coming here for summer vacation, sitting on the porch and sipping prune juice while they watch the sunset. Still, the windows seemed to glare down at me like angry eyes. The wide-open doorway looked like it was ready to swallow me. On the highest gable, a bronze eagle weathervane spun in the wind and pointed straight at me, as if telling me to turn around.

Every molecule in my body told me I was on enemy ground.

"I am _not_ supposed to be here," I said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Annabeth said, "But apparently you were the one I was told to pick up, so someone wants you here."

Annabeth sounded as cold as usual, but now that I think about it, I couldn't blame her since, I was the one who showed up where she had hope to find her boyfriend.

"Look, I know it might mean nothing, but I'm sorry if me showing up at the Grand Canyon wasn't what you had hoped," I said.

"Don't worry about it." Annabeth waved it off. "It's not your fault."

She sounded believable, but still her expression said I better not say anymore unless I want a knife aimed at me again.

Then I heard footsteps on the front porch. No—not footsteps— _hooves_.

"Chiron!" Annabeth called, "This is Jason, one of the three demigods Silena and I brought here."

I backed up so fast I almost tripped. Rounding the corner of the porch was a man on horseback. Except he wasn't on horseback—he was part of the horse. From the waist up he was human, with curly brown hair and a well-trimmed beard. He wore a T-shirt that said _World's Best Centaur_ , and had a quiver and bow strapped to his back. His head was so high up he had to duck to avoid the porch lights, because from the waist down, he was a white stallion.

Chiron started to smile at me, but then the color drained from his face.

"You…" the centaur's eyes flared like a cornered animal's. "You should be dead."

I was confused and turned to Annabeth, hoping she knew what she was confused as well.

"Chiron—do you know Jason somehow?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron turned to Annabeth and tried to give her a reassuring smile, which I could tell wasn't easy. "Annabeth, I like to speak to _Jason_ alone. Why don't you go check on the others or get some sleep?"

I could tell Chiron was avoiding something, and so did Annabeth.

"But what did—" Annabeth's eyes suddenly widened as if a thought just occurred to her. "Chiron you don't think Jason is—"

"Go!" Chiron ordered.

Reluctantly Annabeth nodded and left, but I doubt this conversation was over—rather postponed.

Once she was gone, the centaur trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch. He slipped off his quiver and bow and backed up to the chair, which opened like a magician's box. Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs and began scrunching himself into a space that should've been much too small. While this was happening, I couldn't help but image the truck's reversing noises— _beep, beep, beep_ —as the centaur's lower half disappeared and the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake human legs covered in a blanket, so Chiron appeared to be a regular guy in a wheelchair.

"Follow me," he ordered. "We have lemonade."

…

The living room looked like it had been swallowed by a rain forest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, which I found a little strange. I didn't think plants grew like that inside, especially in the winter, but these were leafy green and bursting with bunches of red grapes.

Leather couches faced a stone fireplace with a crackling fire. Wedged in one corner, an old-style Pac-Man arcade game beeped and blinked. Mounted on the walls was an assortment of masks—smiley/frowny Greek theater types, feathered Mardi Gras masks, Venetian _Carnevale_ mask with big beaklike noses, carved wooden masks from Africa. Grapevines grew through their mouths so they seemed to have leafy tongues. Some had red grapes bulging through their eyeholes.

But the weirdest thing was the stuffed leopard's head above the fireplace. It looked so real, its eyes seemed to follow me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when it snarled.

"Now, Seymour," Chiron chided. "Jason is a friend. Behave yourself."

"That thing is alive!" I said.

Chiron rummaged through the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of Sausages. He threw one to the leopard, who snapped it up and licked his lips.

"You must excuse the décor," Chiron said. "All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of homor."

"Mr. D," I said looking around at the grape vines, mask, and at Seymour as it clicked in my mind. "Dionysus?"

"Mmm hmm," Chiron poured lemonade, though his hands were trembling a little. "As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature. He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got."

Seymour bared his fangs and sniffed the air, as if hunting for more Sausages.

"If he's only a head, where does the food go when he eats?" I asked.

"Better not to ask," Chiron said. "Please, sit."

I took a sip of my lemonade, though my stomach was still fluttering. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and tried for a smile, but I could tell it was forced. The old man's eyes were as deep and dark as wells.

"So, Jason," he said, "would you mind telling me—ah—where you're from?"

"I wish I knew." I told him the whole story, from waking up on the bus to crash-landing at Camp Half-Blood. I didn't see any point in hiding the details, and Chiron was a good listener. He didn't react to the story, other than to nod encouragingly for more.

When I was done, the old man sipped his lemonade.

"I see," Chiron said. "And you must have questions for me."

"Only one," I admitted. "What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?"

Chiron studied me with concern, as if he expected for me to burst into flames. "My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?"

I looked at the tattoo on my forearm: SPQR, the eagle, twelve straight lines.

"No," I said. "Nothing."

"Do you know where you are?" Chiron asked. "Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"

"You're Chiron the centaur," I replied. "I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."

"So you believe those gods still exist?"

"Yes," I said immediately. "I mean, I don't think we should _worship_ them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they're still around because they're a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts—like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome.

 _"I couldn't have said it better."_ Something about Chiron's voice changed. _"So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you?"_

 _"Maybe,"_ Jason answered. _"I'm not really sure."_

Seymour the leopard snarled.

I realized quickly what just happened. The centaur had switched to another language and not only I understood him but I automatically answered in the same tongue.

 _"Quis erat—"_ I faltered as I made a conscious effort to speak English. "What was that?"

"You know Latin," Chiron observed. "Most demigods recognized a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice."

I tried to wrap my mind around what that meant, but too many pieces were missing from my memory. I still had the feeling that I shouldn't be here. It was wrong—and dangerous. But at least Chiron wasn't threatening. In fact, the centaur seemed concern for me, as if afraid for my safety.

The fire reflected Chiron's eyes, making them dance fretfully. "I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you—you are not any pupil I've ever taught. Your presence here could mean disaster. But it could mean something else?"

I frowned "What do you mean?"

"One of my pupils: Percy—"

"Percy Jackson? Annabeth's boyfriend who's missing," I said.

Chiron nodded. "Percy once received the prediction that he would be one of the seven greatest demigods of all time."

I got a tug of annoyance for some reason as I said. "I'm guessing he haven't lived up to it yet?"

"Actually, he has, but that's not the point," Chiron said, "For years I thought it might have been involved with the Second Titan war, but then last summer, we found out something that made us rethink what Percy's prediction meant. Something that involved the other six great heroes."

In the corner of the arcade game made a sad _pew-pew-_ pew sound, like a Pac-Man had just died. The tug of annoyance seemed to eased in me as realization hit me.

"You think—you think I might be one of the others?" I asked.

"Your presence here is a violation of an oath made long ago, one of which I cannot go into details for the very same reason," Chiron said. "I'm not certain if you are one of the other six, but whoever set this up must—"

Seymour the leopard howled. His mouth froze, half open. The arcade game stopped beeping. The fire stopped crackling, its flames hardening like red glass. The masks stared down silently at me with their grotesque grape eyes and leafy tongues.

"Chiron?" I asked. "What's going—"

The old centaur had frozen, too. I jumped off the couch, but Chiron kept staring at the same spot, his mouth open mid-sentence. His eyes didn't blink. His chest didn't move.

 _Jason,_ a voice said.

For a horrible moment, I thought the leopard spoke. Then dark mist boiled out of Seymour's mouth, and an even worse thought occurred to me: _storm spirits._

I grabbed the coin from my pocket. With a quick flip, it changed into a sword.

The mist took form of a woman in black robes. Her face was hooded, but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak. I wasn't sure how I knew it was goatskin, but I recognized it and knew it was important.

 _Would you attack your patron?_ The woman chided. Her voice echoed in my head. _Lower your sword._

"Who are you?" I demanded. "How did you—"

 _Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I've manage to bring you here, by now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you._

"You're in prison?" I decided that maybe I shouldn't lower my sword. "Look, I don't know you, and you're not my patron."

 _You know me,_ she insisted. _I have known you since your birth._

"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."

 _No, you don't,_ she agreed. _That also was necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life as a placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me._

"Whoa," I said. "I don't belong to anyone."

 _Now is the time to pay your debt and to become one of the seven great heroes,_ she said. _Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory._

"Is that a threat? You _took_ my memories?"

 _You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me._

The dark woman dissolved, and the mist curled into the leopard's mouth.

Time unfroze. Seymour's howl turned into a cough like he'd sucked in a air ball. The fire crackled to life, the arcade machine beeped, and Chiron said, "—have some idea about the prediction and thought you might be one of them."

"The lady in the mist said I was one of the seven greatest demigods," I said.

Chiron looked up in surprise. "Weren't you just sitting… why do you have a sword drawn."

I told Chiron about the frozen-in-time visit, the dark misty figure that disappeared into Seymour's mouth.

"Oh, dear," Chiron murmured. "That does explain a lot of things, and confirmed what we feared."

"What?" I asked.

Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside. The front door blew open, and Annabeth apparently had returned with another girl, a redhead, dragging Piper between them. Piper's head lolled like she was unconscious.

"What happened?" I rushed over to them. "What's wrong with her?"

"Hera's cabin," Annabeth gasped, like they'd run all the way. "Vision. Bad."

The redheaded girl looked up, and I saw that she'd been crying.

"I think…" the redheaded girl gulped. "I think I may have killed her."


	8. Jason's POV Part IV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part 4**

The redhead, who introduced herself as Rachel, helped me put Piper on the couch while Annabeth rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing, but she wouldn't wake up. She seemed to be in some kind of coma.

"We've got to heal her," I insisted. "There's a way, right?"

I knew I shouldn't befriend these people, and certainly I shouldn't date one of them. But still… Piper had been holding my hand when I woke up on the bus. At the time she believed she was my girlfriend. She'd been brave on the skywalk, fighting those _venti_ , and when I caught her in the midair and when we held each other face-to-face, I couldn't pretend I wasn't a little tempted to kiss her. And even though I didn't know my past and I don't want to end up playing her feelings, seeing her so pale and barely breathing made me felt a surge of protectiveness.

Chiron put his hand on her forehead and grimaced. "Her mind his in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?"

"I wish, I knew," she said. "As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blacked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice."

"A prophecy?" Chiron asked.

"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me."

Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch. She knelt next to Piper. "Chiron, what happened back there—I've never seen anything like it. I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—"

"To free her from a prison?" I guessed.

Annabeth stared at me. "How did you know that?"

For the first time since I woke up, I knew the answer and I wasn't sure if I should tell her.

Chiron made a three-fingered gesture over his heart, like a ward against evil.

"Jason, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please."

Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper's mouth as I explained what happened when the room froze—the dark misty woman who claimed to be my patron.

When I was done, no one spoke, but Annabeth eyes widened after I brought up how the woman said I was one of the seven greatest heroes. My guess is she was familiar with her boyfriend's prediction and knew there were six—I mean five others. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that I'm supposed to be a great hero along with this Percy Jackson guy.

"Your patron," Annabeth finally spoke up. "Not your godly parent?"

"No, she said _patron_. She also said my dad had given her my life," I said. "I don't think she's the one the storm spirit was talking about."

"Did she say anything else?" Annabeth asked.

"Just that she's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice—"

Annabeth turned to Chiron. "Not Kronos. Please tell me it's not that."

The centaur looked miserable. He held Piper's wrist, checking her pulse.

At last he said, "It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But…"

"But what?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron closed the medicine bag. "Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later."

"Or now," I said. "Sir, Mr. Chiron, you said something happened last summer that makes you think what we might be dealing with involved with a prediction about Percy and the other six great heroes. If the Mist Lady is right about me being one of the other six, then something must be going on."

"Oh," Rachel said in a small voice. "Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. And her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."

"Hera?" Annabeth snarl was even fiercer than Seymour's. " _She_ took you over? She did this to Piper?"

I had a strong sense that Annabeth and Hera had bad history.

"I think Rachel's right," I said. "The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this—this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"

"It is?" Annabeth scowled "I've never heard that."

Chiron nodded reluctantly. "Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."

"Annabeth, didn't Hera tell you and Percy she knew who the other six—including you, Jason—were?"

Annabeth nodded grudgingly as she looked at me with a strange look as if I was part of the answer. "She didn't tell us who the other six were, though, but we did come up with a theory who the other one was cause of it."

"Who?" I asked.

"Not important, right now," Chiron said, "I'm sure when the time comes, the other five will show up."

I had a feeling that the old centaur was hiding something else but Chiron change the topic.

"Either way, Hera is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together. If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times."

"But if it's not a Titan who can it be?" Annabeth asked.

I looked at the leopard's head. Seymour was smacking his lips like the goddess had tasted much better than a sausage. "Hera said she's been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."

"Which is how long Olympus has been closed," Annabeth said. "Which means the gods had to know something bad was going on."

"But why use her energy to send me here?" I asked. "She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods—let them know where she is so they bust her out?"

The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth," Rachel said. "That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods."

"That's true," Annabeth said, "but Jason got a point. Why him? Why take his memory?"

"And Piper's involved somehow—maybe another one of the seven heroes," Rachel said, "Hera sent her the same message— _Free me._ If she is one of the seven heroes like Percy and Jason. We should check on that third demigod that came with you to see if he seen anything strange."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because if there's one thing I learned from being an oracle and friends with demigods is that there's no such thing as coincidence," Rachel said.

"She's right," Annabeth said, "Leo might be involved with this as well."

"Well, I'll be in my office," Chiron said in a heavy tone, "I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Cal Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you like. And Annabeth, I think you should talk to Jason a bit more about the Greek and Roman gods."

With that the centaur turned his wheelchair and rolled off down the hallway.

"Is that normal?" I asked.

"No, it's not," Annabeth said.

She then noticed my sword that was sitting on the coffee table. She touched the blade gingerly, like it might be hot.

"Is this gold?" she said. "Do you remember where you got it?"

"No," I replied. "Like I keep saying, I don't remember anything."

Annabeth nodded, like she'd just come up with a rather desperate plan. "I think I know someone who can help us, which means… Cabin Fifteen. Rachel, you'll keep an eye on Piper?"

"Sure?" Rachel promised. "Good luck, you two."

"Hold on. What about Cabin Fifteen? Who can help?" I asked.

"Clovis," Annabeth replied. "Come on."

…

We headed toward a newer wing of cabins in the southwest corner of the green. Some were fancy, with glowing walls or blazing torches, but Cabin Fifteen was not so dramatic. It looked like an old fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof. On the door hung a wreath of crimson flowers—red poppies, I thought, though I wasn't sure how I knew.

"This cabin is for Hypnos, god of sleep. It house his demigod children," Annabeth explained.

"I take it Clovis is one of them?" I asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Fair warning, when we go in there, try not fall asleep?"

It sounded like a crazy warning but I didn't argue.

Inside, even though it was almost dinnertime, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers. A warm fire crackled in the hearth. Above the mantle hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls.

"Don't touch that," Annabeth warned. "Not unless you want to lose the memories of today."

I nodded as that was the last thing I want.

Soft violin music played somewhere. The air smelled like fresh laundry. The cabin was so cozy and peaceful that my eyelids started to feel heavy. A nap sounded like a great idea. I was exhausted. There were plenty of empty beds, all with feather pillows and fresh sheets and fluffy quilts and—

"Hey! Snap out of it." Annabeth nudged me.

I blinked. I realized my knees had been starting to buckle.

"Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone. That's why I told you to try not fall asleep," Annabeth reminded me. "If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than Ares Cabin. At least with Ares, you can learn where the land mines are."

"Land mines?'

She walked up to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder. "Clovis! Wake up!"

The kid looked like a baby cow. He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shape head, with thick feathers and a thick neck. His body was stocky, but he had spindly little arms like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a pillow.

"Clovis!" Annabeth shook harder, then finally knocked on his forehead about six times.

"Wh-wh-what?" Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting. He yawned hugely, and both Annabeth and I yawned too.

"Stop that!" Annabeth said. "We need your help."

"I was sleeping."

"You're _always_ sleeping."

"Good night."

Before he could pass out, Annabeth yanked his pillow off the bed.

"That's not fair," Clovis complained meekly. "Give that back."

"First help," Annabeth said. "Then sleep."

Clovis sighed. His breath smelled like warm milk. "Fine. What?"

Annabeth explained about my situation to Clovis. Every once in a while she'd snap her fingers under Clovis' nose to keep him awake.

Clovis must have been really excited, because when Annabeth was done, he didn't pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason. "So you don't remember anything, huh?"

"Just impressions," I replied. "Feelings, like…"

"Yes?" Clovis asked.

"Like I know I shouldn't be here. At this camp. I'm in danger."

"Hmm. Close your eyes."

I glanced at Annabeth, remembering her warning, but she nodded reassuringly.

I was afraid I'd ended up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but I closed my eyes. My thoughts became murky, as if I was sinking into a dark lake.

The next thing I know, my eyes snapped open. I was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis and Annabeth knelt next to him.

"—serious, all right," Clovis was saying.

"What happened?" I asked. "How long—"

"Just a few minutes," Annabeth said. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved.

I hoped she didn't mean it literally, but her expression was solemn."

"Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with a good sleep, I can bring them back. But this…"

"Lethe?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Clovis said. "Not even Lethe."

"Lethe?" I asked.

Clovis pointed to the tree branch dripping milky drops above the fireplace that Annabeth warned me not to touch. "The River Lethe in the Underworld. It supposed to dissolves your memories, wipes your mind clean pernamentally, although there been some skeptics about how effective it is on the living since those that have alive still have some lingering memories."

"Like Bianca and Nico having flashes of memory of living in Washington DC before their father had their memories wipe clean," Annabeth said.

Clovis nodded. "That branch there is from a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of my father, Hypnos. The water is still powerful enough to wipe a memory of a Titan."

"Seriously?"

Annabeth nodded. "That's how we came to have a titan help us defend Olympus. He originally was known as Iapetus Titan of the West and brother of Kronos, but after Percy tricked him into falling into the River Lethe, he's now known as Bob, Warrior of Olympus. Although if you see him with a spear, you think he still sees himself as Iapetus the piercer."

Needless to say I was shock to hear that but decided to get back to the topic in hand. "But the Lethe—that's not my problem?"

"No," Clovis agreed. "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen."

The fire crackled. Drops of Lethe water plinked into the tin cups on the mantle. One of the other Hypnos campers muttered in his sleep—something about a duck.

"Stolen," I said. "How?"

"A god," Clovis said. "Only a god would have that kind of power."

"We know that," I responded. "It was Juno. But how did she do it, and why?"

Clovis scratched his neck. "Juno?"

"He means Hera," Annabeth said. "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names."

"Hmm," Clovis said.

"What?" I asked. "Does that mean something?"

"Hmm," Clovis said again and I realized it was his way of snoring.

"Clovis!"

"What? What?" His eyes fluttered open. "We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, could be important."

"But they're the same gods," Annabeth said. "Just different names."

"Not exactly," Clovis said.

That got my attention as I sat forward. "What do you mean, not exactly?"

"Well… Clovis yawned. "Some of there are some gods the Romans never quite accepted but still around, so they're considered just as it is, Greek gods. Like Iris. Then we have some gods who were only known to the Romans so they're only known as Romans. Like Janus, or Pompana. But for most of the Gods—Minor and Olympians—well not only their names changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities."

"But…" Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently though the centuries. That doesn't change who they are.

"Sure it does." Clovis started to nod off so I snapped my fingers under his nose.

"Coming, Mother!" he yelped. "I mean… Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth. I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailor suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place at East Twenty-eighth Street, right? It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasted for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character."

"Makes sense," I said.

Annabeth shook her head, mystified. "But how do you know all this, Clovis?"

"Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming. I see the gods there all the time—always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. And being a son of Hypnos I can control my dream visions so that they don't disturb me while at the same time I can get my dad's or brother Morpheus' message," Clovis said.

"But what about Rome?" Annabeth asked.

"Right, Rome," Clovis sad. "So we call the gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same isn't true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much. They stood more for discipline, honor strength—basically stuff that made them harsher and more powerful—the gods of an empire."

"But discipline honor and strength are good, right?" For some reason I felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods, although I wasn't sure why it matter to me. "I mean, that's what made Rome last so long."

Clovis gave me a curious look. "That's true. But the Roman gods weren't exactly friendly. Like I said, they were harsher. Like my dad, Hypnos… he didn't do much except sleep in Greek times. In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at the wrong time, _boom_ —they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy."

"But what does this have to do with Jason?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know," Clovis admitted, "But if Hera took your memory, only she can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than Juno mood. Can I go bac to sleep now?"

Annabeth stared at the branch above the fire, dripping Lethe water into the cups. She stood up and tossed Clovis his pillow. "Thanks, Clovis. We'll see you at dinner."

"Can I get room service?" Clovis yawned and stumbled to his bunk. "I feel like… zzzz…" He collapsed with his butt in the air and his face buried in the pillow.

"Won't he suffocate?" I asked.

"He's fine," Annabeth said in a worried tone. "But I'm beginning to think that you are in serious trouble."


	9. Piper's POV Part III

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part III**

My dream was about my last day with my dad.

We were on the beach near Big Sur, taking a break from surfing. The morning had been so perfect, I knew something had to go wrong soon—a rapid horde of paparazzi, or maybe a great white shark attack. Who knows with my luck when it comes to perfect mornings.

Too this day, I still swear one morning four years ago I saw a kid a year older than me walked into the ocean and disappeared at Santa Monica and didn't resurface two of his friends waited for him until hours later.

But so far today, we had excellent waves, an overcast sky, and a mile of oceanfront completely to ourselves. Dad had found this out-of-the-way spot, rented a beachfront villa _and_ the properties on either side, and somehow managed to keep it secret. If he stayed here too long, I knew the photographers would find him. They always did.

"Nice job out there, Pipes." He gave me the smile he was famous for: perfect teeth, dimpled chin, a twinkle in his dark eyes that always made grown women scream and ask him to sigh their bodies in permanent marker. ( _Seriously,_ I couldn't help but think, _get a life._ ) His close cropped black hair gleamed with salt water. "You're getting better at hanging ten."

I flushed with pride, though I suspected Dad was just being nice. I spent most of the time wiping out. My dad was a natural surfer—which made no sense since he'd been raised a poor kid in Oklahoma, hundreds of miles from the ocean—but he was amazing on the curls. I would have given up surfing a long time ago if it wasn't for the fact it was one of the few times I get to spend with my dad.

"Sandwich?" Dad dug into the picnic basket his chef, Arno, had made. "Let's see: turkey pesto, crabcake wasabi—ah, a Piper special. Peanut butter and jelly."

I took the sandwich, though my stomach was too upset to eat. I always asked for PB&J because I was a vegetarian. I have been ever since we once drove past that slaughterhouse in Chino and the smell made my insides want to come outside. But it was more than that. PB&J was a simple food, like a regular kid would have for lunch. Sometimes I pretended my dad actually made it for me, not a personal chef from France who liked to wrap the sandwich in gold leaf paper with a light-up sparkler instead of a toothpick.

I would like things to be simple like that. That's why I always turn down the fancy clothes Dad always offered, the designer shoes, the trips to the salon. I even cut my own hair with a pair of plastic Garfield safety scissors, deliberately making it uneven. I preferred to wear beat-up running shoes, jeans, a T-shirt, and my old Polartec jacket from the time we went snowboarding.

Most importantly, I hated the snobby private schools Dad thought were good for me. I kept getting kicked out of them, and yet he kept finding more schools I hate.

Yesterday, I pulled my biggest heist yet—driving that "borrowed" BMW out of the dealership. I _had_ to pull a bigger stunt each time as it took more and more to get Dad's attention.

Now I regretted it. Dad didn't know yet.

I wanted to tell him this morning, but he surprised me with this trip, and I couldn't ruin it. It was the first time we had a day together in three months.

"What's wrong?" he passed me a soda.

"Dad, there's something—"

"Hold on, Pipes. That's a serious face. Ready for Any Three Questions?"

I couldn't help but smile. We've been playing this game for years—it was dad's way of staying connected in the shortest possible amount of time. We could ask each other any three questions. Nothing off-limits, and you had to answer honestly. The rest of the time, dad promised me that he would stay out of my business—which was easy, since he was never around.

I knew most kids would find a Q&A like this with their parents totally mortifying. But I always looked forward to it. It was like surfing—not easy, but a way to make me feel that I actually have a father.

"First question," I started with the very same question I always started with, "Mom."

My dad shrugged with resignation. "What do you want to know, Piper? I've already told you—she disappeared. I don't know why, or where she went. After you were born, she simply left. I never heard from her again."

"Do you think she's still alive?"

It wasn't a real question. Dad was allowed to tell me he didn't know. But I wanted to hear how he would answer.

He stared at the waves.

"Your Grandpa Tom," he said at last. "he used to tell me that if you walked far enough toward the sunset, you'd come to Ghost Country, where you could talk to the dead. He said a long time ago, you could bring the dead back; but then mankind messed up. Well, it's a long story."

"Like the Land of the Dead for the Greeks," I remembered. "It was in the west, too. And Orpheus—he tried to bring his wife back."

Dad nodded. A year before, he'd had his biggest role as an Ancient Greek king. I helped him with his research on the myths—all those old stories about people getting turned to stone and boiled in lakes of lava. We had a fun time reading together, and it made my life seemed not so bad. For a while I felt closer to my dad, but like everything, it didn't last.

"Lots of similarities between Greek and Cherokee," Dad agreed. "Wonder what your grandpa would think if he saw us now, sitting at the end of the western land. He'd probably think we're ghost."

"So you're saying you believe those stories? You think Mom is dead?"

His eyes watered, and I saw the sadness behind them. I figured that's why women were so attracted to him. On the surface, he seemed confident and rugged, but his eyes held so much sadness. Women wanted to find out why. They wanted to comfort him, and they never could. Dad told me it was a Cherokee thing—they all had that darkness inside them from generations of pain and suffering. But I thought it was more than that.

"I don't believe the stories," he said. "They're fun to tell, but if I really believed in Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods… I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame."

Somebody to blame for Grandpa Tom dying of lung cancer, I thought, before Dad got famous and had the money to help. For Mom—the only woman he'd ever loved—abandoning him without even a good-bye note, leaving him with a newborn girl he wasn't ready to care for. For his being so successful, and yet still not happy.

If there was a way for me to help him, I would do it, but I didn't know how.

"I don't know if she's alive," he said. "But I do think she might as well be in Ghost Country, Piper. There's no getting her back. If I believed otherwise… I don't think I could stand that, either."

Behind them a door opened. I turned and my heart sank. Jane was marching toward us in her business suit, wobbling over the sand in her high heels, her PDA in hand. The look on her face was partly annoyed, partly triumphant, and I knew immediately that Jane have been in touch with the police.

 _Please fall down,_ I prayed. _If there's any animal spirit or Greek god that can help, make Jane take a header. I'm not asking for permanent damage, just knock her out for the rest of the day, please?_

But Jane kept advancing.

"Dad." I wanted to tell him before Jane does, I have to. "Something happened yesterday…"

But he saw Jane as well. He was already reconstructing his business face. Jane wouldn't be here if it wasn't serious. No matter if the studio call, a project fell through, or Piper had messed up again.

"We'll get back to that, Pipes," he promised. "I'd better see what Jane wants. You know how she is."

Yes, I knew. Dad trudged across the sand to meet her. I couldn't hear them talking, but I didn't need to. I'm pretty good at reading faces. Jane just gave him the facts about the stolen car, occasionally pointing at me like I was a disgusting pet that had whizzed on the carpet.

Dad's energy and enthusiasm drained away. He gestured for Jane to wait. Then he walked back to me. I couldn't stand that look in his eyes—like I'd betrayed his trust, which made me feel worse since I did.

"You told me you would try, Piper," he said.

"Dad, I hate that school. I can't do it. I wanted to tell you about the BMW, but—"

"They expelled you," he said. "A car, Piper? You're sixteen next year. I would buy you any car you want. How could you—"

"You mean _Jane_ would buy me a car?" I demanded. I couldn't help it. The anger just welled up and spill out of me. "Dad, just listen for once. Don't make me wait for you to ask your stupid three questions. I want to go to regular school. I want _you_ to take me to parent's night, not Jane. Or homeschool me! I learned so much more when we read about Greece together. We could do that all the time! We could—"

"Don't make this about me," her dad said. "I do the best I can, Piper. We've had this conversation."

 _No,_ I thought. _You've cut off this conversation. For years._

Dad sighed. "Jane's talked to the police, brokered a deal. The dealership won't press charges, but you have to agree to go to a boarding school in Nevada. They specialize in problems in problems… in kids with tough issues."

"That's what I am." my voice trembled. "A problem."

"Piper… you said you'd try. You let me down. I don't know what else to do."

"Do anything," I said. "But do it yourself! Don't let Jane handle it for you. You can't just send me away."

Dad looked down at the picnic basket. His sandwich sat uneaten on a piece of gold leaf paper. We'd planned for a whole afternoon in the surf. Now that was ruined.

I couldn't believe he'd really give in to Jane's wishes. Not this time. Not on something as huge as a boarding school.

"Go see her," dad said. "She's got the details."

"Dad…"

He looked away, gazing at the ocean like he could see all the way to Ghost Country. I promised myself I wouldn't cry. I headed up the beach toward Jane, who smiled coldly and held up a plane ticket. As usual, she'd already arranged everything. I was just another problem of the day that Jane could now check off her list.

Sometimes I wish my dad hired a different assistant, someone who will help dad with his career and make time for me. Sure I might still end up going to camp, but at least Dad and I would be in speaking terms. Then maybe things would have been different now.

That's when my dream changed.

I stood on a mountaintop at night, city lights glimmering below. In front of her, a bonfire blazed. Purplish flames seemed to cast more shadows than light, but the heat was so intense, my clothes steamed.

"This is your second warning," a voice rumbled, so powerful it shook the earth. I heard that voice before in my previous dreams. I tried to convince myself it wasn't as scary as I remembered, but it was worse.

Behind the bonfire, a huge face loomed out of the darkness. It seemed to float above the flames, but I knew it must be connected to an enormous body. The crude features might've been chiseled out of rock. The face hardly seemed alive except for its piercing white eyes, like raw diamonds, and its horrible frame of deadlock, braided with human bones. It smiled and I shivered.

"You'll do what you're told," the giant said. "You'll go on the quest. Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. Otherwise—"

He gestured to one side of the fire. My father was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake.

I tried to cry out. I wanted to call to my dad, and demand the giant let him go, but my voice wouldn't work.

"I'll be watching," the giant said. "Serve me, and you both live. You have the word of Enceladus. Fail me… well, I've slept for millennia, young demigod. I am _very_ hungry. Fail, and I'll eat well."

The giant roared with laughter. The earth trembled. A crevice opened at my feet, and I tumbled into darkness.

…

I woke up feeling like I'd been trampled by an Irish step-dancing troupe. My chest hurt, and I could barely breathe. I reached down and closed my hand around the hilt of the dagger Annabeth gave me—Katoptris, Helen of Troy's weapon.

So Camp Half-Blood hadn't been a dream.

"How are you feeling?" someone asked.

I tried to focus. I was lying in a bed with a white curtain on one side, like in a nurse's office. That redheaded girl, Rachel Dare, sat next to me. On the other wall was a poster of a cartoon satyr who looked disturbingly like Coach Hedge with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth. The caption read: _Don't let sickness get you goat!_

"Where—" my voice died when I saw the guy at the door.

He looked like a typical California surfer dude—buff and tan, blond hair, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. But he had hundreds of blue eyes all over his body—along his arms, down his legs, and all over his face. Even his feet had eyes, peering up at me from between the straps of his sandals, which I found weird.

"That's Argus," Rachel said, "our head of security. He's just keeping an eye on things… so to speak."

Argus nodded. The eye on his chin winked, which didn't help.

"Where—?" I tried again, but I felt like I was talking though a mouthful of cotton.

"You're in the Big House," Rachel said. "Camp offices. We brought you here when you collapsed.

"You grabbed me," I remembered. "Hera's voice—"

"I'm sorry about that," Rachel said. "Believe me, it was _not_ my idea to get possessed. Chiron healed you with some nectar—"

"Nectar?"

The drink of the gods. In small amounts, it heals demigods, if it doesn't—ah-burn you to ashes."

"Oh. Fun."

Rachel sat forward. "Do you remember your vision?"

At first I thought she was talking about my dream with the giant, which made me feel dreadful for a moment. But then I realized Rachel was talking about what happened in Hera's cabin.

"Something's wrong with the goddess," I said. "She told me to free her, like she's trapped. She mentioned the earth swallowing us, and a fiery one, and something about the solstice."

In the corner, Argus made a rumbling sound in his chest. His eyes all fluttered at once.

"Hera created Argus," Rachel explained. "He's actually very sensitive when it comes to her safety. We're trying to keep him from crying, because last time that happened… well, it caused quite a flood."

Argus sniffled. He grabbed a fistful of Kleenex from the bedside table and started dabbing eyes all over his body. Which again, is disturbing.

"So…" I tried not to stare as Argus wipe the tears from his elbows. "What's happened to Hera."

"We're not sure," Rachel said. "Annabeth and Jason were here for you, by the way. Jason didn't want to leave you, but Annabeth had an idea—something that might restore his memories."

"That's… that's great."

Jason had been here for me? I wished I'd been conscious for that. But if he got his memories back, would that be a good thing? I was still holding out hope that we can still be a couple. Silena said my feelings for Jason is real.

Get over yourself, I thought. If I was going to save my dad, it didn't matter whether Jason liked me or not. He would hate me eventually. Everyone here would.

I looked down at the ceremonial dagger strapped to my side. Annabeth had said it was sign of power and status, but not normally used in battle. All show and no substance. A fake, like me. And its name was Katoptris, looking glass. I didn't dare unsheathed it again, because I couldn't bear to see my own reflection.

"Don't worry," Rachel squeezed my arm. "Jason seems like a good guy. He had a vision too, a lot like yours. Whatever's happening with Hera—I think you two are meant to work together. And we're checking on Leo to make sure if he seen anything."

Rachel smiled like this was good news, but my spirits plunged even further. I thought about this quest—whatever it was—would involve nameless people. Now Rachel was basically telling her: _Good news! Not only is your dad being held ransom by a cannibal giant, you also get to betray the guy you like and your best friend! How awesome is that?_

"hey," Rachel said. "No need to cry. You'll figure it out."

I wiped my eyes trying to get a hold of myself. This wasn't like me. I was supposed to be tough—a hardened car thief, the scrounge of L.A. private schools. And yet here I was, crying like a baby. "How can you know what I'm facing?"

Rachel shrugged. "I know it's a hard choice, and your options aren't great. Like I said before, I get hunches sometimes. But you're going to be claimed at the campfire. I'm almost sure. When you know who your godly parent is, things might be clearer."

Clearer, I thought. Not necessarily better.

I sat up and suffered a headache as if someone had driven a spike between my eyes.

 _There's no getting your mother back,_ my dad told me once. But apparently, tonight, my mom might claim me, and for the first time, I wasn't sure I wanted that.

Somewhere in the distance, a conch horn blew. Argus grumbled and opened the door.

"Dinner?" I asked.

"You slept through it," Rachel replied. "Time for the campfire. Let's go find out who you are. And don't worry. Thigs will work out—just in ways you won't expect it."

Somehow that didn't make me feel better, but I left with Rachel anyways.


	10. Piper's POV Part IV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part IV**

Okay, I'll admit it. Ever since I started having that dream with my dad tied to the stake, the whole campfire idea freaked me out at first. But thank gods it turned out not like my dream.

Instead, it was a sing along. The amphitheater steps were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Fifty or sixty kids filled the rows. Most in different groups under various banners.

I spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth, and I guess were her sibling as they were under a silver banner with an owl on an olive tree: symbol of Athena. I also saw Leo nearby with Beckendorf, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steely gray banner emblazoned with a hammer. I also saw Silena with a group that I guess were her siblings under a rose colored banner with a dove emblem.

Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps—lyres?—were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandmother got dressed for war. Everyone was singing with them and making gestures for the piece of armor and joking around. It was quite possibly the weirdest thing I have ever seen—one of those campfire songs that would've been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.

Finally, the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. At least in the flickering light, I _thought_ it was a guy on a horse. Then I realized it was a centaur—his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. "Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled from a group sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.

"Yes," the centaur said, "I know the Ares Cabin is anxious about the next game of capture the flag. Which will be Friday."

"They just want to get back on Nike cabin for their victory last weak!" someone yelled."What about Percy? Any news on him?"

The fire dimmed further, but I didn't need the mood flames to sense everyone's anxiety.

Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.

"I didn't find Percy," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name. "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, The Hunters of Artemis—everyone's out looking. We _will_ find him. Right now there's something big going on—a new quest."

"This has something to do with the great prophecy?" yelled a guy—who I swear looks like was wearing an eyepatch—from a group under a black banner with a wheel that looked like a piece is missing. If I remember correctly, that's the symbol above Nemesis' cabin.

Everyone turned to the guy.

"The Titans are defeated has caused a new stirring hasn't it? That's why Olympus is closed right?"

"Ethan, how?" Annabeth asked.

"It doesn't take much to see the truth, even with one eye," the guy known as Ethan said.

Everyone turned to Rachel hoping Ethan was wrong. I was confused what was going on, but I didn't get the time to ask as Rachel stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.

"Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."

Pandemonium broke out.

I caught Jason's eye. He mouthed, _You all right?_ I nodded and manage to mile, but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him.

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.

"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction as your oracle. It arrived in August. It goes like this: _Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"_

Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered.

Even Rachel seemed caught off guar. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"

 _"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus,"_ he chanted. _"Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."_

An uneasy silence settled on the group. I could see from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines. I could tell it was Latin, but I wasn't sure why my hopefully future boyfriend was suddenly chanting like a Catholic priest.

"You just… finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. "— _An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ How did you—"

"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I _know_ that prophecy."

"In Latin, no sell," a girl called out from Aphrodite Cabin. "Handsome too."

There was some giggling from girls until Silena silence them. She shot me a look that told me not to worry. At least I know there's someone from Aphrodite cabin I can count on. Sadly, it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. I'll admit, that made me jealous as I wanted to be the one who did that.

Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. She glanced at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt—a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.

"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happened for a few more years, but I fear it starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Ethan said, defeating the Titans have triggered the events. We're not sure who all the demigods are, but we do have a clue thanks to a late child of Apollo: Halcyon Green."

There were some murmurs from those who were leading the sing along. I guess even they hear of this Halcyon Green guy. There were more murmurs from the crowd until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh… were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.

"Anyway," Rachel continued. "we don't know what any of the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the _first_ Great Prophecy predicted the Titan war, we can guess the _second_ Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."

"Or worse," Chiron murmured.

Maybe he didn't mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as my dream.

"What we _do_ know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."

There was a shock silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once.

Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention.

She told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.

Then Rachel told them about how I passed out in Hera's cabin. I tried to keep a calm expression, even when I notice one of Silena's sister in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends started giggling until Silena yelled _silence_ and most replied.

Finally, Rachel told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera had delivered was similar to what she told me. The only difference was that Hera warned me not to betray her: _Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all_. Hera _knew_ about the giant's threat. But if that was true, why didn't Hera warn Jason, and expose me as enemy agent?

"Jason," Rachel said. "Um… do you remember your last name?"

He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head.

"We'll just call you Jason, then," Rachel said. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."

Rachel paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, I thought I would've buckled in his position. Yet he looked brave and determined. He set his jaw and nodded. I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't _already_ know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of great darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. _Ancient_ magic, older than the gods. It is the day when things… stir."

The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister—like it was first-degree felony.

"Whatever's going on, I agree," Annabeth said, "Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares Cabin. "If he's so important—"

"He has been claimed—or rather preclaimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, but I couldn't help but think how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue's. He glanced at me, and I nodded encouragingly. I thought his coin and mimicked flipping a one.

Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance—a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.

"Wasn't that…" Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."

"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.

"Hey!" I heard a female voice yelled—which I guess was Clarisse, "It wasn't so lame when I destroyed the Drakon!"

"Electric," Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. "Back away."

Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on my arms stood up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.

When the some cleared, the ringing in my ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.

Jason lowered his lance. "Um… sorry."

Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as his worst fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."

I couldn't help but smile. It made perfect sense. The most powerful god, the father of all the greatest heroes in the ancient myths—no one else could possibly be Jason's dad.

Apparently, the rest of the camp wasn't so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions. One of which was how was it Jason wasn't here sooner?

I stared at Annabeth who had a look that told me that this almost confirmed any theory she had on Jason.

"The important thing is," Rachel said, interrupting everyone, "is Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:

 _"Child of lightning, beware the earth. The giant's revenge the seven shall birth. The forge and dove shall break the cage, And death unleashed through Hera's rage."_

On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her ways from the hearth and laid er in the corner to rest.

"Is that normal?" I asked causing everyone to stare at me. "I mean… does she spew green smoke a lot?"

"Gods you're dense!" the girl who mocked my fainting earlier sneered. "She just issued a prophecy—Jason's prophecy to save Hera!"

"Drew, shut it!" Silena snapped.

"I do agree that something about that prophecy _definitely_ isn't normal," Annabeth said. "If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and cause a bunch of death… why would we free her? It might be a trap, or—or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."

Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just _not_ help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble.

A girl from Hephaestus stood up. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son—our dad—down a mountain just because he was ugly."

" _Real_ ugly," Drew snickered.

"Drew!"

Beckendorf cleared his throat. "It isn't just Hera we have to worry about. Rachel also mention a giant's revenge. And the fact that the earth was brought up makes me worried about who we're really dealing with."

It doesn't take much to figure out that Beckendorf has a good guess who the giant is. Most of the campers shifted uncomfortably.

I noticed that Annabeth and Chiron were having a silent exchange that went something like this:

Annabeth: _The giants' revenge… no, it can't be._

Chiron: _Don't speak of it here._

Annabeth: _But we can't be that unlucky._

Chiron: _Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed_.

It was strange that I could read their expressions so well, especially since I just met them today. But I was absolutely positive I understood them, and it scares me.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's a child of lightning. According to traditions, he may choose any two companions."

Someone from Hermes cabin yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."

"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "First off, I'm _not_ helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she deceived me, or it come back to bite me alter. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning for Richmond Virginia to see the remains of Halcyon's place too see if I can find clues to Percy's whereabouts."

"It's connected," I blurted out, not sure where my courage came from. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance—it's all connected. And Halcyon is somehow mixed into this, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "Percy always said he wanted to return there, and it was no coincidence of the prediction Hal gave him."

"Return there?" I asked.

"Besides, there's another reason I can't go there," Annabeth said.

""It says who _I_ pick," Jason agreed. _"The forge and dove shall break the cage._ The forge is the symbol of Vul—Hephaestus."

Beckendorf nodded. "Since the prophecy says to avoid the earth, I got an idea of how you can get there—but it may take time to get it prepared. As for which of my siblings would go—"

Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet, I almost forgot he was there, which was totally _not_ like Leo.

"It's me," he said.

Most of his cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted. "No, it's me. I can help Beckendorf prepare our transportation and I will go with you."

Beckendorf didn't argue, but he was worried.

Jason studied him for a moment. I was sure he was going to tell Leo no, but he smiled. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along."

"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.

Many of Leo's Cabinmates turned to Beckendorf, expecting him to argue, but instead he said, "Very well."

Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member."

"I'll go," I said. "I had a vision of Hera. It's only right I go as well."

"Oh please!" Drew said, "The prophecy mentions a dove. That's the symbol of Aphrodite. There's no way that's you."

I clenched my fist. I wanted to beat Drew up at this point.

Suddenly there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at me like I'd just exploded. At first I was confused and worried until I realized there was a reddish glow around me.

 _"—Aphrodite gives her kids a magical makeover."_ I remembered SIlena said.

Reluctantly I looked down hoping not to see what happened and I yelped.

My clothes… what in the world was I _wearing_? I despised dresses. I didn't even _own_ a dress. And yet I was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to my ankles, with a V-neck so low it was totally embarrassing. Delicate gold armbands circled my biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered my chest, and my hair…

I quickly drew out my dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at my side with a golden cord. At first I didn't want to draw it. I was afraid of what I would see. But my curiosity won as I unsheathed Katoptris and stared at my own reflection in the polished metal bade. My hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side as it fell across my shoulder. I was even wearing makeup—which I don't normally wear—subtle touches that made my lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in my eyes.

I was… I was…

"Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you… you're a knockout."

Under different circumstances, that would of made this moment the happiest moment of my life. But now everyone was staring at me like was a freak. Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"

Even Silena was caught off guard, but she tried to give me a reassuring smile, like a sister would do for her siblings in a time like this, which made me realize that it's because Silena was my sister.

"This isn't me," I protested. "I—I don't understand."

Chiron the centaur folded is front legs and bowed to me, and all the campers followed his example.

"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at my funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, and goddess of love."


	11. Leo's POV Part III

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part III**

I only stick along after Piper turned beautiful for Beckendorf to kiss Silena good night. I have to admit, Piper turning beautiful like that was amazing in a _She's got makeup! It's a miracle!_ Way, but I really want to see what Beckendorf had planned.

I still can't believe that in front a bunch of strangers, braver demigods, I _volunteered_ for a dangerous mission.

I hadn't mention seeing Tía Callida, my old babysitter, but as soon as I heard Jason's vision—the lady in the black shall—I knew it was the same woman. Tía Callida was Hera. My evil babysitter was the queen of the gods and—as it turned out—my grandmother.

"You ready to go?" Beckendorf asked me after he returned.

"Ready as I could be," I replied. "By the way. What is the plan?"

"You'll see," Beckendorf replied. "But first, we need to find the dragon."

"The automaton dragon that needs a tune up?" I asked.

Beckendorf grunted a yes as he trudged through the woods. I followed him while trying not to think about my childhood—all messed up things that led to my mom's death. But I couldn't help it.

…

The first time Tía Callida tried to kill me, I must've been about two. Tía Callida was looking after me while my mother was at the machine shop. At the time I just thought she was an old woman in the community who use the name _tía_ to help get along with kids. She smelled lie a honey-baked ham, and always wore a widow's dress with a black shawl.

"Let's set you down for a nap," she said. "Let's see if you are my brave little hero, eh?"

I was sleepy at the time. She nestled me into my blankets in a warm mound of red and yellow pillows? The bed was like a cubbyhole in the wall, made of blackened bricks, with a metal slot over my head and a square hole far above, where I could see the stars. I remembered resting comfortably, grabbing at sparks like fireflies. I dozed, and dreamed of a boat made of fire, sailing through the cinders. I imagine myself on board, navigating the sky. Somewhere nearby, Tía Callida sat in her rocking chair— _creak, creak, creak—_ and sang a lullaby. Even at two, I knew the difference between English and Spanish, and I remembered being puzzled because Tía Callida was singing in a language that was neither.

Everything was fine until my mom came home. She screamed and raced over to snatch me up, yelling at Tía Callida, "How could you?" But the old lady had disappeared.

I remember looking over my mom's shoulder at the flames curling around my blankets. Only years later I realized I was sleeping in a blazing fireplace.

The weirdest thing? Tía Callida hadn't been arrested or even banished from our house. She appeared again several times over the next few years. Once when I was three, she let me play with knives.

"You must learn your blades early," she insisted, "if you are to be my hero someday."

I managed not to kill myself, but I got the feeling Tía Calida wouldn't care if I did or not.

When I was four, Tía found a rattlesnake for me in a nearby cow pasture. She gave me a stick and encourage me to poke the animal.

"Where is your bravery, little hero? Show me the Fates were right to choose you."

I stared down at those amber eyes, hearing the dry _shh-shh ssh_ of the snake's rattle. I couldn't bring myself to poke the snake. It didn't seem fair.

Apparently the snake felt the same way about biting a little kid. I could've sworn it looked at Tía Callida like, _Are you nuts lady?_ Then it disappeared into the tall grass.

The last time she babysat, I was five. She brought me a pack of crayons and a pad of paper. We sat together at the picnic table in the back of the apartment complex, under an old pecan tree. While Tía Callida sang her strange songs, I drew a picture of the boat I'd seen in the flames, with colorful sails and rows of oars, a curved stern, and an awesome figurehead. When I was almost done and about to sign my name the way I'd learned in kindergarten, a wind snatched the picture away. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

I was so upset I wanted to cry. I spent so much time on that picture—but Tía Callida just clucked with disappointment.

"It isn't time yet, little hero. Someday, you'll have your quest. You'll find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense. But first you must face many sorrows. I regret that, but heroes cannot be shaped any other way. Now, make me a fire, eh? Warm these old bones."

A few minutes later, mom came out and shrieked with horror. Tía Callida was gone and I was sitting in the middle of a smoking fire. The pad of paper was reduced to ashes, and my crayons melted into a bubbling puddle of multicolored goo. Most importantly, my hands were a blazed, slowly burning through the picnic table.

Even years later, people in our apartment complex don't know how someone had seared the impressions of a five year-old's hands an inch deep into solid wood.

My mom must have known the truth back then.

I remembered after that last visit mom took me inside and had a long talk with me, but I only understood some of it.

"She can't come back again." Mom had a beautiful face with kind eyes, and curly dark hair, but she looked older than she was because of hard work. The lines around her eyes were deeply etched. Her hands were callused. She was the first person from their family to graduate from college. She had a degree in mechanical engineering and could design anything, fix anything, build anything.

No one would hire her. No company would take her seriously, so she ended up working in the machine shop that she said belonged to our family since my great-grandfather opened it after moving to Houston. She manage to make enough money to support the two of us. My mom also had a talent to switch between Spanish to English constantly—using them like complementary tools. Years later I realized that not everyone could speak that way. She'd even taught me Morse code as a kind of game, so we could tap messages to each other when we were in different rooms: _I love you. You okay?_ Simple things like that.

"I don't care what Callida says," my mom told me. "I don't care about destiny and the Fates. You're too young for that. You're still my baby."

She took my hands, looking for burn marks, but of course there weren't any. "Leo, listen to me. Fire is a tool, like anything else, but it's more dangerous than most. You don't know your limits. Please promise me—no more fire until you meet your father. Someday, _mijo,_ you _will_ meet him. He'll explain everything."

I heard her say that since I could remember. Someday I would meet my dad. My mom wouldn't answer any questions about him. I never met him, never even seen pictures of him, but she talked like he'd just gone to the store for some milk and he'd be back any minute. I tried to believe her. Someday, everything would make sense.

…

For the next couple of years, we were happy. I almost forgot about Tía Callida. I still had dreams of the flying boat, but the other strange events seemed like a dream too.

It all came apart when I was eight. By then, I was spending every free hour at the shop with my mom. I knew how to use machines. I could measure and do math better than most adults. I even learned to think three-dimensionally, solving mechanical problems in my head the way my mom did.

One night, we stayed late because mom was finishing a drill bit design she hoped to patent. If she could sell the prototype, it might change our lives. She'll finally get the break she always wanted.

As she worked, I passed her supplies and told her corny jokes, trying to keep her spirit up. I loved it when I could make her laugh. She smiled at me and say, "Your father would be proud of you, _mijo_. You'll meet him soon, I'm sure."

Mom's workshop was at the very back of the shop. It was kind of creepy at night, because we were the only ones there. Every sound echoed through the dark warehouse, but I didn't mind as long as I was with my mom. If I did wander through the shop, we could always keep in touch with Morse code taps. Whenever we were ready to leave, we had to walk through the entire shop, through the break room, and out to the parking lot, locking the doors behind us.

That night after finishing up, we'd just gotten to the break room when my mom realize she didn't have her keys.

"That's funny." She frowned. "I know I had them. Wait here, _mijo_. I'll only be a minute."

She gave me one more smile—the last one I'll ever get—and she went back into the warehouse.

She'd only been gone a few heartbeats when the interior door slammed shut. Then the exterior door locked itself.

"Mom?" My heart pounded. Something heavy crashed inside the warehouse. I ran to the door, but no matter how hard I pulled or kick, it wouldn't open. "Mom!" Frantically, I tapped a message on the wall: _You okay?_

"She can't hear you," a voice said.

I turned and faced a strange woman. At first I thought it was Tía Callida. She was wrapped in black robes, with a veil covering her face.

"Tía?" I asked.

The woman chuckled, a slow gentle sound, as if she were half asleep. "I am not your guardian. Merely a family resemblance."

"What—what do you want? Where's my mom?"

"Ah… loyal to your mother. How nice. But you see, I have children too… and I understand you will fight them someday. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I cannot allow that."

"I don't know you. I don't want to fight anybody."

She muttered like a sleepwalker in a trance, "A wise choice."

A chill went down my back as I realized the woman was, in fact, asleep. Behind the veil, her eyes were closed. But even stranger: her clothes were not make out of cloth. They were made of _earth_ —dry black dirt, churning and shifting around her. Her pale, sleeping face was barely visible behind a curtain of dust, and I had a horrible sense that she had just risen from the grave. If the woman was asleep, I wanted her to stay that way. I knew that if she was fully awake, she would be even more terrible.

"I cannot destroy you yet," the woman murmured. "The fates will not allow it. But they do not protect your mother, and they cannot stop me from breaking your spirit. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you to oppose me."

"Leave my mother alone!" Fear rose in my throat as the woman shuffled forward. She moved more like an avalanche than a person, a dark wall of earth shifting toward me.

"How will you stop me?" she whispered.

She walked straight through a table, the particles of her body reassembling on the other side.

She loomed over me, and I knew She would pass right through me, too. I was the only thing between her and my mother.

My hand caught on fire.

A sleepy smile spread across the woman's face, as if she'd already won. I screamed with desperation. My vision turned red. Flames washed over the earthen woman, the walls, and the locked doors before I lost conscious.

When I woke up, I was in an ambulance.

The paramedic tried to be kind to me. She told me the warehouse had burned down and that my mom didn't make it out. The paramedic said she was sorry, but I felt hollow. I lost control, just like my mom warned. Her death was my fault.

Soon the police came to get me and they weren't very nice. According to them, the fire had started in the break room, right where I was standing. I somehow survived but they found it weird that I would locked the doors of my mother's workplace—the place that been in my family since my great-grandfather—knowing she was inside, and started a fire.

My neighbors at the apartment complex didn't help. They told the police that I was a strange kid and about the burned handprints on the picnic table.

My relatives didn't want anything to do with me. My Aunt Rosa called me a _diablo_ and shouted at the social workers to take me away. So I went to my first foster home. A few days later, I ran away. I did stay at some foster homes longer than others. I would joke around, make a few friends, and pretend that nothing bothered me, but I always ended up running sooner or later. It was the only thig that made the pain better—the feeling like I was moving, getting farther and farther away from the ashes of my family's machine shop.

I promised myself I would never play with fire again. I hadn't thought about Tía Callida, or the sleeping woman wrapped in earthen robes, for a long time.

…

"Leo—Hey Leo, snap out of it!"

I guess I had zoned out in my memories and didn't realize that Beckendorf was yelling at me until he grabbed my shoulders.

"You okay? You zoned out for a bit," Beckendorf said.

I shake off the dread from my memories and gave him my usual goofy grin. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the quest."

Beckendorf looked concern, but nodded. "Don't worry about it, kid. You still have the Mymekes gunk?"

I nodded and took out the jar of the stickiest gunk I ever had.

"Keep that on you during the quest," Beckendorf said. "It can do you and your friends a lot of good."

"Right?" I said. "So where is our ride?"

"Just up ahead," Beckendorf said, "We'll also need to check something out while we're here that would hopefully help you guys."


	12. Leo's POV Part IV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part IV**

I wanted to summon some fire, but I was afraid that I would freak Beckendorf out. I mean, sure the guy seemed cool, but after what Jake Mason said about the last fire user, I don't know how he think of me if I did.

"We're close," Beckendorf said.

"How can you tell?" I asked looking around.

Beckendorf pointed to a clearing. "That's where Percy and I found Myrmekes dragging the dragon's head."

"Dragon's head—wait, are we searching for the dragon?" I asked.

Beckendorf nodded. "We'll have to get it prepared if you're going to use it."

"Prepare it—wait, I thought you said we can't bring it to the forges," I responded.

"We can't but there's something I been wanting to check out," Beckendorf explained.

We made it to a huge crater and that's where I saw the dragon at the base of it.

It was about sixty feel long, snout to tail, its body made of interlocking bronze plates. Its claws were the size of butcher knives, and its mouth was lined with hundreds of dagger-sharp metal teeth. It had ruby eyes that was looking at us as steam came out of its nostrils. It snarled like a chain saw cutting through a tree. There was just one problem.

"It doesn't have wings?" I asked.

Beckendorf shrugged. "I think it's supposed to, we just never found it."

"What do you mean you think?" I asked.

"It has slots on the back as if it was supposed to have wings," Beckendorf explained, "Wait here while I go talk with the Dragon."

Beckendorf climbed down the crater to where the dragon was. After a bit I got bored and decided to climb down after him.

"Leo, I thought I told you to stay put," Beckendorf responded.

"Sorry, but I wanted a closer look," I responded.

The dragon apparently didn't get that much as it blew white hot flames at me.

"Leo, look out!" Beckendorf yelled.

But it was too late as I got a direct hit of the fire. Instead of harming me, all I felt as if I were being hosed down with a powerful, very hot fire hose. It stung a little, but when the flames died, I was perfectly fine. Even my clothes were okay, which I found weird but was grateful for. I liked my army jacket, and having my pants seared off in front of Beckendorf would be _seriously_ embarrassing.

I don't know who was more surprised, Beckendorf or the dragon.

Beckendorf asked, "Leo—how—are you immune to fire?"

I looked at myself, pretending I was just as shock, "I guess so," I lied.

Beckendorf looked at me like I just done something he never thought imagine. I thought he would yell at me and call me a freak, but instead he said, "Well, since you're already down here, come on. Time for you to get acquainted with this guy."

I did as I was told. "So this is our ride?"

"Yeah," Beckendorf said, "At least it would be when we find its wings."

"Does it have a name?" I asked.

Beckendorf frowned like it never occurred to him to name the dragon. "I don't think so. If you want to name it, go ahead."

I thought for a bit. I remember the name I called my dad earlier due to a misunderstanding of the name. "How about Festus?"

The dragon whirled it's teeth and grinned.

"I think it likes it," Beckendorf replied, "Alright, it will be called Festus from now on."

"Cool," I responded. "So where do we find it's wings?"

"That's where we need the dra—I mean Festus for," Beckendorf replied. "We'll need to get on it's back."

Festus was all too happy too let me climbed on—I'm guessing because I was the only child of Hephaestus to give it a name. Then Beckendorf said, "Festus! Show us the cliff side. The one you took me too before."

Immediately, Festus bounded off into the woods.

…

I have completely lost track of time and all sense of direction. It seemed impossible for the woods to be this deep and wild, but the dragon traveled until the trees were like skyscrapers and the canopy of leaves completely blotted out the stars. They didn't need to make light as the dragon's glowing ruby eyes started acting like headlights.

Finally we cross a stream and came to a dead end, a limestone cliff a hundred feet tall.

Festus stopped at the base and we got off.

"This is it?" I asked.

Beckendorf nodded. "I found after the first tune up when Festus brought me here. I think there's a hidden entrance somewhere here, but I couldn't find it, or open it."

I walked forward and put my hand on the cliff. I noticed that the rock lines seemed to have gunpowder in it, as if a trigger. But why couldn't Beckendorf open it? Unless it requires a certain fiery touch.

I thought I heard Tía Callida's voice at that moment: _Use your gift, young hero. You won't be judge if you do._

I doubt it, I thought but I decided to go with it. I took a deep breath and felt that feeling in my fingers like earlier, before my hand ignited.

Lines of fire spread from my fingertips igniting the powder, sizzling cross the limestone. The burning lines raced across the cliff face until they had outline a glowing red door five times as tall as me. I backed up and the doors swung open, disturbingly silently for such a big slab of rock.

The dragon marched inside immediately as if returning home.

I turned to Beckendorf who was staring at me like before, only this time was a bit more concern. "Leo—you're a fire user?"

I nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Beckendorf asked. "Does Jason and Piper no about this?"

"No," I replied. "You're the first one since my mom's death to find out," I responded.

"Why?" Beckendorf asked.

I ended up telling Beckendorf the whole story: from Hera turning out to be my babysitter who tried to kill me just to awaken my powers to the earthen woman threatening my mother's life.

I thought for sure I ruined any chance getting along with Beckendorf but once again.

"Leo, you shouldn't blame yourself for your mother's death," Beckendorf explained.

"Why shouldn't I? I burned down the workshop," I responded.

"You were eight years old and didn't have any training," Beckendorf responded. "Most importantly, that earthen lady you called, she was threatening your mother's life and you were acting on self defense."

"But what about what Jake said?" I asked. "With Thomas Fawner and the London fire?"

"The London Fire was an accident, yes. But it started with good intention," Beckendorf explained. "I'm not saying the power over fire is the greatest gift a god can bestowed their child, but right now I think it's safe to say your power might be what we need to stop this upcoming threat. So are you going to work with me and get the dragon ready for your quest or not?"

At that moment I heard Tía Callida's voice: _Listen to your brother, little hero. Your power doesn't have to be a curse if you don't let it be_.

"Okay," I responded, "Let's see if we can find some wings for Festus."

…

The lights of fluorescents and torches had already flickered on by time the dragon came in, so we didn't have to worry about moving around in the dark. And I have to say, it was amazing.

The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above. Equipment was everywhere—hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air-spades, forklifts, plus something that looked suspiciously like a nuclear reactor chamber. Bulletin boards were covered with tattered, faded blueprints. And weapons, armor, shields—war supplies all over the place, a lot of them only partly finished.

Hanging from the chains far above the dragon's platform was an old tattered banner almost to faded to read. The letters were Greek, but I somehow knew what they said: Bunker 9.

"I think we're in a Hidden Bunker," Beckendorf explained. "I heard of these, but this is the first time I seen one."

"What were they used for?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Beckendorf replied.

I looked at a blueprint, and my throat nearly leaped out as I ran to a worktable. On it was a drawing of a Greek ship from several different angles. Faintly scrawled the words underneath it read: PROPHECY? UNLEAR FLIGHT?

It was the ship I'd seen in my dreams—the flying ship looked exactly like my drawing when I was five. Even had a dragon's head that looked like a dragon's head.

"Leo, catch!"

I turned just in time for Beckendorf to toss me a tool belt.

"It seems to be enchanted to summon anything non-magical you might need," Beckendorf replied. "Since we don't have time to build you a proper weapon, you can use this."

"Thanks," I responded.

"Now, come on," Beckendorf said, "I found the wing that might go on Festus' back."


	13. Jason's POV Part V

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part V**

I dreamed of wolves. Really, I did.

I stood in a clearing in the middle of a redwood forest. In front of him rose the ruins of a stone mansion. Low gray clouds blended with the ground fog, and cold rain hung in the air. A pack of large gray beasts milled around me, brushing against my legs, snarling and baring their teeth. Thy gently nudge me toward the ruins.

I had no desire to become the world's biggest dog biscuit, so I decided to do what they wanted.

The ground squelched under my boots as I walked. Stone spires of chimneys, no longer attached to anything, rose up like totem poles. The house must've been enormous once, multi-storied with massive log walls and a soaring gabled roof, but now nothing remained but its stone skeleton. I passed under a crumbling doorway and found myself in some kind of courtyard.

Before me was a drained reflecting pool, long and rectangular. I couldn't tell how deep it was, because the bottom was filled with mist. A dirt path led all the way around, and the house's uneven walls rose on either side. Wolves paced under the archways of rough red volcanic stone.

At the far end of the pool sat a giant she-wolf, several feet taller than I am. Her eyes glowed silver in the fog, and her coat was the same color as the rocks—warm chocolaty red.

"I know this place," I said.

The wolf regarded me. She didn't exactly speak, but I could understand her. The movement of her ears and whiskers, the flash of her eyes, the way she curled her lips—all of these were part of her language.

 _Of course,_ the she-wolf said. _You began your journey here as a pup. Now you must find your way back. A new quest, a new start._

"That isn't fair," I responded. But as soon as I said that, I knew it was pointless complaining to the she-wolf.

Wolves didn't feel sympathy. They never expected fairness. The wolf said: _Conquer or die. This is always our way._

I wanted to protest that I couldn't conquer if I didn't know who I was, or where I was supposed to go. But I somehow knew this wolf. Her name was simply Lupa, the Mother Wolf, the greatest of her kind. Long ago she'd found me in this place, protected me, nurtured me, _chosen_ me, but if I showed weakness, she would tear me to shreds. Rather than being her pup, I would become her dinner. In the wolf pack, weakness was not an option.

"Can you guide me?" I asked.

Lupa made a rumbling noise deep in her throat, and the mist in the pool dissolved.

At first I thought I wasn't sure what I was seeing. At the opposite ends of the pool, two dark spires had erupted from the cement floor like the drill bits of some massive tunneling machines boring through the surface. I couldn't tell if the spires were made out of rock or petrified vines, but they were formed of thick tendrils that came together in a point at the top. Each spire was about five feet tall, but they weren't identical. The closest one to me was darker and seemed like a solid mass, its tendril fused together. As I watched, it pushed a little farther out of the earth and expanded a little wider.

On Lupa's end of the pool, the second spire's tendrils were more open, like the bars of a cage. Inside, I could vaguely see a misty figure struggling, shifting within its confines.

"Hera," I said.

The she-wolf growled in agreement. The other wolves circled the pool, their fur standing up on their backs as they snarled at the spires.

 _The enemy has chosen this place to awaken her most powerful son, the giant king,_ Lupa said. _Our sacred place, where demigods are claimed—the place of death or life. The burned house. The house of the wolf. It is an abomination. You must stop her._

"Her?" I was confused. "You mean, Hera?"

The she-wolf gnashed her teeth impatiently. _Use your senses, pup. I care nothing for Juno, but if she falls, our enemy wakes. And that will be the end for all of us. You know this place. You can find it again. Cleanse our house. Stop this before it is too late._

The dark spire grew slowly larger, like the bulb of some horrible monster. I sensed that if it ever open, it would release something I didn't want to meet.

"Who am I?" I asked the she-wolf. "At least tell me that."

Wolves don't have much a sense of humor, but I could tell the question amused Lupa, as if I were a cub trying out his claws, practicing to be the alpha male.

 _You are our saving grace, as always._ The she-wolf curled her lip, as if she had just made a clever joke. _Do not fail, son of Jupiter._

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry if this is too much like the book, but this chapter was so short I didn't have much to work on to change.


	14. Jason's POV Part VI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VI**

I woke to the sound of thunder. It took me a while to remember where I was and that it always thunders in Cabin One.

Above my cot, the domed ceiling was decorated with a blue-and-white mosaic like a cloudy sky. The cloud tiles shifted across the ceiling, changing from white to black, thunder rumbled through the room, and gold tiles flashed like veins of lightning.

Except for the cot that the other campers had brought me, the cabin had no regular furniture—no chairs, tables, or dressers. As far as I could tell, it didn't even have a bathroom. The walls were carved with alcoves, each holding a bronze brazier or a golden eagle statue on a marble pedestal. In the center of the room, a twenty-foot-tall, full-color statue of Zeus in classic Greek robes stood with a shield at his side and a lightning bolt raised, ready to smite somebody.

I studied the statue, looking for anything I had in common with the Lord of the Sky. Black hair? Nope. Grumbly expression? Well, maybe. Beard? No thanks. In his robes and sandals, Zeus looked like a really buff, really angry hippie.

Yeah, Cabin One. Big honor, the other campers told me. Sure, if you like sleeping in a cold temple by yourself with Hippie Zeus frowning down at you all night.

I got up and rubbed my neck. My whole body was stiff from bad sleep and summoning lightning. That little trick last night wasn't as easy as I made it look like. It almost made me pass out.

Next to the cot, new clothes were laid out for me: jeans, sneakers, and an orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. I definitely needed a change of clothes, but looking down at my tattered purple shirt, I was reluctant to change. It felt wrong somehow, putting on the camp shirt. I still couldn't believe I belonged here, despite everything they'd told me.

I thought about my dream, hoping more memories would come back to me about Lupa, or that ruined house in the redwood. I knew I'd been there before. The wolf was real. But my head ache when I tried to remember. The marks on my forearm seemed to burn.

If I could find those ruins, I might be able to find my past. Not to mention I have to stop whatever was growing inside that rockspire.

I looked at Hippie Zeus. "You're welcome to help."

The statue said nothing.

"Thanks, Pops," I muttered.

I changed clothes and checked my reflection in Zeus' shield. My face looked watery and strange in the metal, like I was dissolving in a pool of gold. I definitely don't look as good as Piper did last night after she'd suddenly been transformed.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I acted like an idiot, announcing in front of everyone that she was a knockout. Not like there'd been anything wrong with her _before_. Sure, she looked great after Aphrodite zapped her, but she also didn't look like herself, not comfortable with the attention.

I felt bad for her. Maybe that was crazy, considering she'd just been claimed by a goddess and turned into the most gorgeous girl at camp. Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously _she_ should be the one who went on the quest—but that attention had nothing to do with who she was. New dress, new makeup, glowing pink aura, and _boom_ : suddenly liked her. I felt like I understood that.

Last night when I called down lightning, the other camper's reactions had seemed familiar to me. I was pretty sure I been dealing with that for a long time—people looking at me in awe just because I was the son of Zeus, treating me like I'm special, but it didn't have anything to do with _me_. Nobody cared about _me_ , just my big scary daddy standing behind him with the doomsday bolt, as if to say, _Respect this kid or eat voltage!_

At the campfire, when people started heading back to their cabins, I walked up to Piper to ask her formally to come with me on the quest.

She'd still been in a state of shock, but she nodded, rubbing her arms, which must've been cold in that sleeveless dress.

"Aphrodite took my snowboarding jacket," she muttered. "Mugged by my own mom."

In the first row of amphitheater, I found a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "We'll get you a new jacket," I promised.

She managed a smile. I wanted to wrap my arms around her, but he restrained myself. I didn't want her to think I was as shallow as everyone else—trying to make a move on her because she'd turned all beautiful.

Well, I can't say everyone did. Piper's new sister Silena came by after seeing her boyfriend off with Leo and told Piper not to worry about Aphrodite's magic, as the make up only lasted a few days to a week most but will wear off, and Piper doesn't have to stay in a dress for the rest of her life. Other than having to deal with the makeup longer than she had hoped, Piper seemed to relax at the idea that she doesn't have to wear a dress forever.

Honestly, I'm glad Piper was going with me on this quest. I had to tried to act brave at the campfire, but it was just that—an act. The idea of going up against an evil force powerful enough to kidnap Hera scares me, especially since I didn't even know my own past. I need help, and it felt right: Piper should be with him. But thins were already complicated without figuring out how much I liked her, and why. I already messed with her head enough.

I slipped on my new shoes, ready to get out of this cold, empty cabin. Bet before I could, I spotted something I didn't noticed the night before. A brazier had been moved out of one of the alcoves to create a sleeping niche, with a bedroll, a backpack, even some pictures tape to the wall.

I walked over. Whoever slept there haven't been here for a long time. The bedroll smelled musty. The backpack was covered with a thin film of dust. Some of the photos once taped to the all had lost their stickiness and fallen to the floor.

One picture showed Annabeth—much younger, maybe seven, but I could tell it was her: same blonde hair and gray eyes, same distracted look like she was thinking a million things at once. She was with two boys. One was a boy around her age with black hair and sea green eyes. He had a big grin on his face but had a look in his eyes as if he was missing someone that wasn't with them.. The other guy next to them had sandy-hair about fourteen or fifteen, with a mischievous smile and ragged leather armor over a t-shirt. My guess is one of the two boys was Percy—possibly the younger one. The second picture showed the three of them hanging out at a campfire having a fun time.

Finally, I picked up one of the photos that had fallen. It was obviously taken in someone's apartment as their were furniture's and walls in the background. There was that sandy-haired guy, black hair kid—who looked happier and didn't have that sad look in his eyes, and Annabeth. But this time there was another girl with them. In this picture she had to be twelve in the picture, black hair—choppy like Piper's—a black leather jacket, and silver jewelry, so she looked kind of goth. They were lined up with the fourteen-year-old on the left, then black hair boy, then Annabeth, then the girl with their arms link at each other's shoulders like one big happy family.

"The dark hair boy is Percy, and the other girl is Thalia," someone said.

I turned to see that Annabeth was peering over my shoulder. Her expression was sad and painful, as if the photo only reminded her of her missing boyfriend, but it also brought back hard memories. "The picture was taken at Percy's apartment where his mom housed us for a while before we made our journey here at camp. Thalia here"—she pointed at the other girl—"She's the other child of Zeus who lived here—but not for long. Sorry, I should've knocked."

"It's fine," I responded. "Not like I think of this place as home."

Annabeth was dressed for travel, with a winter coat over her camp clothes, her knife at her belt, that wristwatch at her wrist, and a backpack across her shoulder.

"Don't suppose you've changed your mind about coming with us?"

Annabeth shook her head. "You got a good team already. I'm off to look for Percy."

I was a little disappointed. I would've appreciate having somebody on the trip who knew what they were doing.

"Hey, you'll do fine," Annabeth promised. "Something tells me this isn't your first quest."

I had a vague suspicion she was right, but that didn't make me feel any better. Everyone seemed to think I was so brave and confident, but they didn't see how lost I really felt. How could they trust me when I didn't even know who I am?

I looked at the pictures of Annabeth smiling arms locked around Percy's shoulder like they were the best of friends in the world, not aware that in the future they would be boyfriend and girlfriend. Just by looking at this picture I could see how close they were even when they were seven.

It also made me wonder if anyone was searching for _me_ right now? What if somebody cared for _me_ that much, or if I had friends who will go all out to search for me, and I couldn't remember my old life.

My focus went back to Thalia's face. Something about her seemed familiar, but at the same time.

I remember what Lupa said about my name. "What's Thalia's last name?"

Annabeth looked tried to hide a smirk as if she was waiting for me to ask but had a look that told me she didn't expect me to ask it now. "She didn't use a last name, really. If she had to, she'd use her mom's, but they didn't get along. Thalia ran away when she was pretty young. But if you want to know, her name is Thalia Grace."

My fingers went numb. The picture fluttered to the floor. A shred of memory ignited—maybe a tiny piece that Hera had forgotten to to steal. Or maybe she'd left it there on purpose—just enough for me to remember that name, and know that digging up my past was dangerous.

"Did Thalia by chance had a brother?" I asked while trying to keep it together.

Annabeth nodded. "A younger brother, younger than Percy and me from what I heard. Why?"

"Because, I think my last name is Grace," I said. "And Thalia is my sister."

I half expected Annabeth to call me insane or threaten my life for lying, but Annabeth just nodded. "I figured as much."

"What? You have?" I asked. "How?"

Annabeth told me about what she learned from Thalia about me: How I was separated from her when I was two, how Thalia got a prediction that she would see me again, and how Thalia kept it a secret until Percy pieced it together.

"So Thalia been looking for me ever since she found out I was still alive?" I asked.

"Well—not always…" Annabeth said. "See on the day we made it to camp, Thalia sacrificed herself so we could make it across, and Zeus turned her into the tree. It wasn't until and we got the Golden Fleece from Polyphemus and placed it on her tree that she was free from her tree."

"So where is she now?" I asked.

"She joined the Hunters of Artemis," Annabeth said, "But she's not the age she should be. When Thalia came out of the tree, she was three years younger than the age she should have been, and when someone joins the Hunters, they're immortalized at the age they were at when they joined."

"Okay, so how old would she be?" I asked.

"About your age, actually," Annabeth replied, "Fifteen or sixteen."

Well at least I have an idea what my sister would look like, but something still bothered me.

"Did Thalia ever say where we were at when we were separated?" I asked.

Annabeth shook her head. "That's what I don't know."

I thought about the dream I had. Lupa said it was where I started. But I don't remember where it was or anything.

I asked Annabeth about it.

"The place might be in Northern California, but I'm not sure where," Annabeth said. "Thalia might know if you find her."

"If I can't while on my quest?" I asked.

"Well, I guess you can follow the monsters," Annabeth suggested.

That made me think about the storm spirits who attacked us at the Grand Canyon. They said they were working for someone—a mistress. And Lupa mentioned that the enemy was a 'she'. The two most likely are connected.

"Okay," I said. "How do I find storm spirits?"

"Personally, I'd ask a wind god," Annabeth said. "Aeolus is the master of all the winds, but he's a little… unpredictable. No one finds him unless he wants to be found. I try one of the four seasonal wind gods that work for Aeolus. The nearest one, the one who has the most dealings with heroes, is Boreas, the North Wind. He settled in the oldest northern settlement here in North America."

"Maine?" I guess.

"Farther."

I tried to envision a map. What was farther north than Maine? The oldest northern settlement…

"Canada," I decided. "Quebec."

Annabeth smiled. "You're in luck that Piper is the daughter of Aphrodite."

"Why?"

"Children of Aphrodite have a natural sense of speaking French and in any dialect," Annabeth said, "Piper might have not realized it yet, but trust me, when the time comes she should be able to. And I'm sure Silena has already filled her in on it."

I nodded. For some reason I had a spark of excitement. I know where to search and I found out that I have a sister out there who might be able to fill me in about my past.

"Thanks Annabeth," I responded.

"No problem. Thalia was like a big sister to Percy and me, and if you're her brother, then you're like a brother to me," Annabeth replied.

I nodded with approval. I looked back at the photo, a picture of the sandy hair guy. "Who's the other kid in the photo?" I asked, "The sandy hair guy?"

"That's Luke—a late brother," Annabeth said. "He sacrificed himself to end the Titan war."

I decided not to ask further as it seem to be a touchy topic.

"You wouldn't by chance know who this big threat is?" I asked

Annabeth frowned. "Sorry Jason. But it's best you find out yourself. Trust me Jason, fining out too much about the future can be dangerous. It's best you find out yourself especially during your quest."

That didn't make me feel netter. Still, at least I got ideas where to go on this dangerous quest.

"You think Thalia would mind if I keep this?" I asked showing the photo.

Annabeth smiled. "Go ahead. I don't think Thalia would mind since it's the closest thing to your past."

I nodded.

Suddenly the doors of the cabin burst open. Half a dozen campers spilled in, led by that dark hair guy with the eye patch—Ethan I think his name was.

"Annabeth, Leo and Beckendorf are back," Ethan said, "And they got the dragon with them."


	15. Piper's POV Part V

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part V**

The moment I woke up I immediately grabbed a mirror. There were plenty of those in Aphrodite cabin. I sat on my bunk, stared at my reflection, and groaned.

I was _still_ gorgeous.

Silena told me last night that this charm can last from two days to a too a week. God, I hope this doesn't last a week.

Luckily Silena got a couple of her friendly siblings—well they're my siblings too, but I'm still getting use to this, to get me some clothes: some jeans, a few extra shirts, a warm jacket, and boots.

I quickly learned that Cabin Ten seemed to be divided into subgroups: those like Silena who actually kind and nice despite their—our—mother's reputation, and then there's those like Drew who lives to make the rest of us our lives miserable.

I did make friends with my new family—I know I'm not supposed to but they were so nice it couldn't be helped. There was my brother Mitchell, who was your American popular kid but with a good heart. Then there was my sister: Lacy, who is this blonde hair girl with pigtails and braces.

Silena also explain to me about powers of Aphrodite that she thought might come in handy for the quest: a natural sense of speaking French, ability to read emotions (she says it's a lot more useful than I would think). She even mention this rare ability I think I have (but didn't mention) called: Charm Speak. It basically means the person can charm anyone into doing what they say.

I wanted to tell her that I have the ability, especially after learning that Silena has it—but doesn't use it unless absolutely necessary. But I decided not to since I'm suppose to be working for the enemy.

Still, I wish the blessing includes getting rid of this makeup at least.

Anyways, as it turns out, I have dozen sisters and five brothers—that I know of at least as Silena said there are many that goes home during the school year. I don't even want to know how Aphrodite have _this many_ kids. Right now they were getting ready for the day. I offered to help but Silena said I should get ready for my quest.

The cabin was divided by a curtain between the boys and girls side but either side looked like a life-size dollhouse, with pink walls and white window trim. The lace curtains were pastel blue and green, which of course matched the sheets and feather comforters on all the beds. Each camper had a wooden camp chest at the foot of their bunk with our name painted on it, where I guessed contained neatly folded and color coordinated clothes. The only bits of individualism was how the campers decorated their private bunk spaces. With an exception of Silena's who had pictures of mostly her and her boyfriend—each had slightly different pictures tacked up of whatever celebrity they thought were hot. A few had personal photos, too, but most were actors or singers or whatever.

I hoped I won't see _The Poster_. It had been almost a year since the movie, and I thought by now surely everyone had torn down those old tattered advertisements and tacked up something newer. But no such luck. I spotted one on the wall by the storage closet, in the middle of a collage of famous heartthrobs.

The title was lurid red: _king of Sparta_. Under that, the poster showed the leaning man—a three-quarters shot of bare-chested bronze flesh, with ripped pectoral and six pack abs. He was clad in only a Greek war kilt and a purple cape, sword in hand. He looked like he'd just been rubbed in oil, his short black hair gleaming and rivulets of sweat pouring off his rugged face, those dark sad eyes facing the camera as if to say, _I will kill your men and steal your women! Ha-ha!_

It was the most ridiculous poster of all time. Dad and I had a good laugh over it the first time we saw it. Then the movie made bajillion dollars. The poster graphic popped up everywhere. I couldn't get away from it at school, walking down the street, even online. It became _The Poster_ , the most embarrassing thing in my life, especially since it had a picture of my dad.

I turned away so no one would think I was staring at it as I straighten up my own bunk, which didn't have much except the blanket Jason gave me last night. He was the only one outside Cabin Ten who was nice to me after the claiming, like he cared about how I felt, not just about my stupid new clothes. God, I wanted to kiss him, but he'd seem so uncomfortable, almost scared of her. I couldn't blame him since I was glowing pink.

"Honestly I didn't think it was _possible_ for Aphrodite to have an ugly child," I heard someone said.

I turned to see Drew at her bunk looking at me with disgust. She must have decided to take advantage of the fact Silena left earlier. "Your dad must have been repulsive to have you. Who is he? A mutant?"

"That's none of your business," I said.

"Let me guess, he's a garbage man, or—"

"Tristan McLean," I snapped. "My dad's Tristan McLean."

As soon as I said it, I hate myself., I never, _ever_ played the "famous dad" card. But drew had driven me over the edge.

The stunned silence lasted for a few seconds as everyone turned to look at _The Poster,_ Dad flexing his muscles for the whole world to see.

"Oh my gods!" half of the girls screamed at once, making me regret blurting it out.

"Sweet," a guy said. "The dude with the sword who killed that other dude in that movie?"

"He is _so_ hot for an old guy," a girl said, and then she blushed. "I mean I'm sorry. I know he's your _dad_. That's _so_ weird!"

I silently agreed with her on that but that wasn't the most awkward part. Soon I was bombarded with questions: can I get them Dad's autograph? Have I been on set? Do I live in a mansion? Do I have lunch with movie stars? Every single type of question I wanted to avoid every time I stretched the truth about my dad.

Then one camper asked: "Have you had your rite of passage?"

"Rite of what?" I asked.

"That's enough!" Silena had came into the cabin carrying a backpack. "Do I need to remind you that Cabin Inspections is after Breakfast, so unless you want to skip breakfast to get this place ready, I suggest you get to it!"

Everyone scrambled back to work.

Silena walked up to me and gave me a friendly smile. "Sorry about that."

"You're not about to ask me for my dad's autograph, are you?" I asked.

Silena laughed. "No, as great as it sounds, I think our siblings already made things awkward enough. Here, I got you some provisions for your quest."

Silena handed me the backpack. Inside was your basic needs: food, water, and what I guess were baggie full of ambrosia and a canteen full of nectar.

"Thanks," I responded. "What did they meant by rite of passage?"

"Don't worry about it. It's not really necessary to go through it," Silena said.

"What is it?" I asked.

Silena sighed. "It's when a child of Aphrodite gets someone to fall in love with them, then break their heart by dumping them. It use to be that it's the only way to proven yourself worthy of Aphrodite."

I stared at her as if she was joking. "Break someone's heart on purpose? That's terrible!"

"I agree," Silena said. "I never done it myself. I don't think I could bring myself to do it."

I can believe it. I seen how close Silena and Beckendorf were—even if it was briefly a few times.

After talking with Silena some more and I finished packing, I went into the bathroom that was built into the cabin and got dressed. Everything fit well, and weren't anything fancy, which work well for me. I strapped my dagger, Katoptris, to my belt and left the bathroom.

Silena did final inspection of the work before having us lining up for breakfast.

However, we didn't get that far from the green when we saw a dragon swooping down from the sky, carrying Leo and Beckendorf on it's back.


	16. Piper's POV Part VI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VI**

"Leo?" I yelled.

Beckendorf and Leo were on it, Beckendorf looking pleased as Leo was grinning like a lunatic. Even before they landed, the camp alarm went up. A conch horn blew. All the satyrs started screaming, "Don't kill me!" Most of the campers came out ready to attack only to find Leo and Beckendorf were riding on it.

The dragon they were on was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture—different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bad-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.

When the dragon landed, it reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky. When it was done, Beckendorf and Leo slid off its back. Both were covered in grease oil and soot but they looked no different than when they left—well, except for Leo wearing a new tool belt around his waist.

"You found the wings?" Silena asked her boyfriend in shock.

"With Leo's help," Beckendorf grunted patted Leo on the back, "He also found the place Festus was trying to show me earlier."

"Festus?" A camper asked.

"Yeah, I named him," Leo said, "About time someone did too."

Jason pushed his way through the crowd, flanked by Annabeth and that one eye guy from last night: Ethan.

He gazed up at the dragon in amazement. "This is our ride?"

"Yep!" Leo replied. "Beckendorf figured with the flying chariot broken and the camp needing every pegasi they can get; Festus was our best option of transportation as long as we can find his wings."

At that moment, the dragon tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, _hopefully_ just oil—poured out of it's ear all over Leo.

"We didn't get time to finish tuning it up, but it's still in battle ready condition," Beckendorf explained. "I taught Leo all of it's hidden functions."

"You guys better go," Annabeth said. Her expression was sad and wistful, like it reminded her of better times. "There's only three days until the solstice."

Jason nodded. Then he smiled at me. "You ready, partner?"

I looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could shredded me to pieces. If it has other deadly functions, I'm glad it's on our side.

"You bet," I responded.

...

Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever.

Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like we were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech sandals, so we weren't uncomfortable at all. Leo showed us how to hook our feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly conceal under the exterior plating. We sat in a single file, Leo in front, then me, then Jason. I was very aware that Jason was right behind me and I wished he would hold on to me, maybe wrap his arms around my waist; but sadly he didn't.

Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind us as we shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned at us. "Cool, right?"

"What if we get spotted?" I asked.

"The Mist," Jason replied. "It keeps most mortals from seeing magical things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Are you sure about that?"

"No," he admitted.

That's when I saw him clutching a photo in his hand—a group photo, one of the peopled on it being a girl with dark hair.

I gave Jason a quizzical look, "Whose that?"

Jason blushed. "My sister."

"Dude, I never knew you had a sister," Leo said.

I wanted to say it was because of the Mist memories, but that was too painful for me.

"I didn't know at first either until I saw the picture," Jason explained. "Annabeth even confirmed it."

"Wait, Annabeth knew you had a sister?" I asked.

"More like she knew my sister had a brother," Jason explained. "It's complicated."

That's when it clicked in my mind. "Wait, you're Thalia's lost brother? The lost son of Zeus?"

This made Jason blushed more and said, "Yeah, I guess I am."

"Well, _Lost son of Zeus_ ," Leo said, "Any idea where we should go?"

"To find the god of the North Wind in Quebec Canada," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."


	17. Leo's POV Part V

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part V**

I was totally buzzing.

The expression on everyone's faces when Beckendorf and I flew the dragon into camp? Priceless!

Festus had been awesome too. He hadn't blowtorched a single cabin or eaten any satyr, even if he did dribble _a lot_ of oil out of his ear on me. Beckendorf did warn that there might still be some kinks in the dragon.

I must admit, Beckendorf turned out to be a cooler brother than I thought. He didn't treat me like a freak when he found out my powers, which was a nice pace, and he gave me a magic tool belt and other supplies from the bunker.

Beckendorf also reassure me that Festus' control disc is in good condition—something about once being part of a robotic giant. And he taught me all the cool deadly functions Festus had to offer, which were a lot. Now we have three days to complete this quest.

Now we flew over New England as Jason laid out the basic plan: First, find some guy named Boreas and grill him for information.

"His name is _Boreas_?" I had to ask. "What is he, the God of Boring?"

Second, Jason continued, we have to find those _ventis_ that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon—

"Can we just call them storm spirits?" I asked. " _Venti_ makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."

And third, Jason finished, we had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so we could find Hera and free her.

"So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, _on purpose_ ," I responded. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."

"That's about it," Jason said. "Well… there may be a wolf that won't kill us unless we show weakness involved, and there's a chance we'll run into my sister."

Jason told us about his dream—the big nasty mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool. He also mention what Annabeth told him about a prediction Thalia got from this Halcyon guy about the two of them meeting again.

"What's the deal with this Halcyon guy? He seemed to pop up almost as much as Annabeth's boyfriend?" I asked.

"Apparently he was the son of Apollo with the gift of prophecies," Jason said.

"Uh-huh," I said. "So do you know where this burnt house at?"

"Nope," Jason responded.

"Okay… do you know where your sister is at since she might know where you two were separated?" Leo asked.

"Not a clue," Jason replied.

"There's also the giants," Piper added. "The prophecy said _the giants' revenge_."

"Hold on," I said. "Giants—like more than one? Why can't it be just one giant who wants revenge?"

"I don't think so," Piper added. "I remember in some of the old Greek stories, there was something about an army of giants."

"Great," I muttered. "Of course, with our luck, it's an army. So you know anything else about these giants? Did you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?"

"Your dad's an actor?" Jason asked.

I laughed. "I keep forgetting about your amnesia. Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean."

"Uh—Sorry, what was he in?"

"It doesn't matter," Piper added quickly. "The giants—well, there were lots of giants in Greek Mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the Titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war—I mean the _first_ Titan war, thousands of years ago—and they tried to destroy Olympus. If we're talking about the same giants that could be trouble."

I couldn't help but whistle at the statement. "So… giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. And a sister who we don't know where is at."

"Other than she's one of the Hunters of Artemis," Piper stated.

"Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter?" I asked.

"This better not be one of your jokes, Leo," Piper asked.

I told them about Tía Callida, who really was Hera, and how'd she appeared to me at camp. I didn't tell them about my fire abilities. That was still a touchy subject, and the only reason I told Beckendorf was because I had no choice but to show him. Besides, I would have to go in about my mom's death, and having to relive it twice in one night is enough for me for a while. Sure Beckendorf scorned me about how it wasn't really my fault (and man that guy can scorn), but it still was painful for me.

And I told them about the strange woman in earthen robes who seemed to be asleep, and seemed to know the future.

I estimated the whole state of Massachusetts passed below us before my friends spoke.

"That's… disturbing," Piper said.

"'Bout sums it up," I agreed. "Thing is, everybody says don't trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd caused death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering… why are we doing this?"

"She chose us," Jason said. "All three of us. We're the first of the seven who have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something bigger."

I didn't feel any better hearing that, but I couldn't argue with Jason's point. It _did_ feel like this was the start of something huge. I just wished there were four more demigods destined to help us would show up.

"Besides," Jason continued, "Thalia will only be able to fill me in on my memories since I was separated from her. Which means helping Hera is the only way I can get all my memory back. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera—"

"Not a good trade off," Piper agreed. "At least Hera is on our side—mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. She's the main one who keeps peace in the family. And a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War."

Jason nodded. "Let's not forget the worse forces that Chiron mention—the ones that stirs on the solstice. With the Solstice being a good time for dark magic, and all—something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods—"

"Might be that weird sleepy lady," I agreed. "Dirt Woman fully away? I don't want to see that."

"But who is she?" Jason asked. "And what does she have to do with giants?"

Good question, I thought, but none of us had the answer. We flew in silence while I wonder if I've done the right thing, sharing so much.

I couldn't help but think of the prophecy: _The forge and dove shall break the cage_. Does that mean Piper and I would have to figure out how to break into that magic rock prison, assuming we could find it. Then we'll unleash Hera's rage, causing a lot of death. Well, that sounded fun! I've seen Tía Callida in action, she liked knives, snakes, and putting babies in roaring fires. Yeah, I'm not definitely looking forward to unleashing her rage.

Festus kept flying. The wind got colder, and below us was a forest that seemed to go on forever. I didn't exactly know where Quebec was. I just told Festus to take us to the palace of Boreas, and Festus kept going north. Hopefully, the dragon knew the way, and we wouldn't end up at the North Pole.

"Why don't you get some sleep," Piper said in my ear. "You were up all night, right?

I wanted to protest, but the word _sleep_ sounded really good so I nodded. "You won't let me fall off?"

Piper patted my shoulders. "Go ahead Valdez, get some sleep. We'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"Right," I muttered. I leaned forward against the warm bronze of the dragon's neck, and closed my eyes.


	18. Leo's POV Part VI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VI**

It felt like I only slept for seconds, but when Piper woke me, the daylight was fading.

"We're here," she said.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes. Below us, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town way older than any place I ever seen. In the center was an actual castle—at least I thought it was a castle—with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peak, green gabled roof.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," I said.

"Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Found around sixteen hundred or so."

"Your dad do a movie about that too?" I asked.

She gave me a face, which I'm used to, but it didn't quite work with her glamorous makeup. "I _read_ sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"Feist," I responded. "Since you know so much, what's that castle?"

"A hotel, I think."

I laughed. "No way."

I saw she was right as we got closer. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.

"The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" I asked. "That can't be—"

"Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted. "We got company!"

I looked down and saw that Jason was right. Rising from the top of the tower was two winged angry angels with nasty-looking swords.

…

Festus didn't like the angel guys. He swooped to a halt in midair, the wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound his throat that I recognize as a sign that Festus was ready to blow fire.

"Steady boy," I muttered. Something told me the angels would not take kindly to getting torched.

"I don't like this," Jason said. "They looked like storm spirits."

At first I thought he was right, but as the angels got closer, I noticed they were much more solid then _venti_. They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might've been brothers, but they definitely weren't twins.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.

The other guy looked like he'd just stepped off one of my mom's 1980s rock album covers—Journey, I think, or maybe Hall & Oates, or something even lamer. His ice white hair was long and feathered into a mullet. He ore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and an awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open. Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.

The angels pulled up in front of my dragon and hovered there, swords ready for anything.

The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."

"'Scuse me?" I asked.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained the groovy love god. On top of his other problems, I was sure he had a fake French accent. "This is restricted airspace.'

"Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-tooth grin.

The dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword.

"Hold on!" I yelled. "Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"

"I am Cal!" the ox grunted. Is it me or he looked proud that he said that?

"That's short for Calais," the love god said. "Sadly my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"—which includes his own name," the god finished.

"I am Cal," Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

"Wow," I said sarcastically. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted obviously pleased with himself.

"Stupid buffoon," his brother grunted. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the lady there—" He winked at Piper, which looked more like a facial seizure. "She can call me anything she likes. Perhaps she would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"

Piper made a gagging sound. "That's… a truly horrifying offer."

"It is no problem," Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. "We're Boreads, and we can be very romantic people."

"Boreads?" Jason cut in, "As in the sons of Boreas?"

"Ah, so you heard of us!" Zethes looked pleased. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So you understand, we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on a creaky dragon. It would scare the silly mortal people."

He pointed below, and I saw that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up—not with alarm, yet—more with confusion and annoyance, like the dragon was a traffic helicopter flying too low.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, "we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed with enthusiasm.

"Wait!" Piper said. "This _is_ an emergency landing."

"Awww!" Cal said with disappointment.

Zethes studied Piper, which of course he'd already been doing. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"

"We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" She forced a smile, which I figured must've been killing her; but she still had that blessing of Aphrodite thing going on, and she looked great. Something about her voice also made me believe every word she just said. Jason was nodding, looking absolutely convinced.

Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. "Well… I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—"

"And our dragon is malfunctioning," Piper added. "It could crash any minute!"

Festus shuddered as he turned his head and spill gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Marcedes in the parking lot below. Nothing out of the ordinary to me, but I hoped the Boreads didn't know that.

"No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper another of his spasmodic wink. "Well, you are pretty. I mean, you're _right_. A malfunctioning dragon—this could be an emergency."

"Destroy them later?" Cal offered, which I guess was as friendly as he can get.

"It will take some explaining," Zethes decided. "Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But, yes. Come faulty dragon people. Follow us."

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled out what I thought was weapons until they switch them on. Then I realized they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys use on a runway. Cal and Zethes turned and swoop toward the hotel's tower.

I turned to my friends and said. "I love these guys. Should we follow them?"

Jason and Piper didn't look as eager as I was.

"I guess," Jason decided. "We're here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors."

"Pfft, he just hasn't met us." I whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!"

…

As we got closer, I thought we would have to crash into the tower. However, the Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but I spurred the dragon downward as we swooped in after the Boreads.

We landed in what must have been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening. When I slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under my feet. A fine later of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't bulge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird water light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, I was sure I would have slip and break my neck if I try to climb them.

"Wow! If you guys fix the thermostat in here, I would totally move in."

"Not me." Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something feels wrong. Something up there."

Festus shuddered in agreement and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over, which amaze me how he was able to do it on pointy shoes. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Festus growled and spun his drill bit teeth. I don't think Festus likes the word.

"I got a better idea," I said, "hold on!"

"Leo," Piper said nervously, "what are you—"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. You're about to see a cool function Beckendorf taught me," I said

I hooked my fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. I pulled the switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase. Then I pushed another button and a handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" I announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"That's impossible," Jason said. "Something that big shouldn't be able to do that?"

"I know, right?" I asked.

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal drew their swords and glared at me.

I raised my hands. "Okay… what'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't _have_ to take the dragon as a carry-on—"

"Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his swords against my chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

"What? No!" I responded. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"

Cal growled. He put his face up to mine, which made him looked uglier up close with his bruised eyes and bashed-in mouth. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

"He's right." Zethes pushed me back at sword point. "We can _smell_ fire, demigod. We assume it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire… on you."

I would be sweating right now if it wasn't for the temperature in the penthouse.

"There must be a mistake," Jason said, "Leo isn't a fire guy. He's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is the daughter of Aphrodite. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful…"

Jason's voice faltered as the Boreads turned to him suddenly.

"What did you say?" Zethes demanded. "You're the son of Zeus?"

"Um… yeah," I responded. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. "Can't be Jason," he said. "Doesn't look the same."

Zethes stepped forward and squinted at my face. "No, he's not _our_ Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. But stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."

"Wait," Jason said. " _Your_ Jason… you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course," Zethes said. "We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the _Argo_ , in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good all the time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."

"Hockey!" Cal agreed.

"But our Jason died a mortal death. So I know you can't be him," Zethes said. "However, since you're the son of Zeus, you could still be the one we've been watching for."

"Watching for?" I asked. "You mean like in a good way: you'll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a _bad_ way: he's in trouble?"

A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."

I looked up the staircase and my heart nearly stopped. At the top of the stairs stood a beautiful girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of the snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on me with no expression or friendliness, but it didn't matter. She was the most dazzling girl I have ever seen, and I think I was in love.

Then she looked at Jason and Piper, and seemed to understand the situation immediately.

"Father will want to see the one called Jason," the girl said.

"Then it _is_ him?" Zethes asked excitedly.

"We'll see," the girl said. "Zethes, bring our guest. Except for you, Leo Valdez."

I partly wonder how she knew my name; but I was mostly concentrating on my crush on her.

"Why not?" I whinnied like a kindergartner, which was embarrassing.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father," the girl said. "It's not wise for fire and ice to meet."

"We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on my shoulder, "or not at all."

The girl tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez. Guard him, but do not kill him."

Cal pouted. "Just a little?"

"No," the girl insisted. "And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment."

Jason and Piper both looked at me with an expression that ask: _How do you want to play this?_

The fact that they were ready to fight for me and won't leave me alone with a huge hockey ox made me felt a surge of gratitude. Honestly, part of me wanted to go for it and see how well my tool belt helps me in battle. But the Boreads guys scared me, and their gorgeous sister scared me even more, even though I want her number.

"It's fine, guys," I told them. "No sense of causing trouble right now. You two go ahead."

"Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

And so my friends left with the gorgeous and yet scary girl.

I turned to Cal who was my acting guard.

"So, have you seen Myrmekes goop before?" I asked.

Cal tilted his head in confusion. "What?"

Oh yeah, this is going to be an interesting wait.


	19. Jason's POV Part VII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VII**

I didn't want to leave Leo, but I was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock might be the _least_ dangerous option in this place.

As we climbed the staircase, Zethes stayed behind us, his blade drawn. The guy might've looked like a disco-era reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. I figured one hit from that thing would probably turned me into a Popsicle.

Then there was his sister, the ice princess. Every once in a while she would turn and give me a cold smiled, literally. There was no warmth in her expression, as if she was regarding me like I was an interesting science specimen that she couldn't wait to dissect.

I'm starting to wonder if meeting Boreas was a good idea. Sure Annabeth told me that Boreas was the friendliest of the wind gods, but after meeting his kids, I wonder how friendly Boreas is.

Another thing worried me. What if I lead my friends to a trap? What if I can't get them to safety if things go wrong.

Without thinking about it, I took Piper's hand for reassurance.

She raised her eyebrows at me, but she didn't let go. Instead she promised. "It'll be fine. Just a talk after all, right?"

At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed us holding hands and her smile faded. Suddenly Piper's and my hands turned ice cold— _burning_ cold—forcing us to let go. Our fingers were smoking with frost.

"Warmth is not a good idea here," the princess advised, "Especially when _I_ am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way."

Piper gave me a nervous frown like, _What was that about?_

I wish I know the answer. Zethes poked me in the back with his icicle sword and we continued to follow the princess down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.

Freezing winds blew back and forth, and my thought moved almost as fast. Despite having plenty of time to think while we rode the dragon north, but I was still as confused as ever.

I still have that group photo with Thalia in it in my pocket, even though I didn't need to look at it anymore. Her image is burned to my mind. It amazed me though that the two of us look nothing alike. Thalia had black hair, shaper features—like a hawk's, and more of a Mediterranean complexion. The only trait we have in common were our blue eyes.

But I was certain she was my sister. Hera seemed to leave me enough memory to know that much, even though she practically stolen everything else in my past.

Annabeth told me that Thalia thought I was dead for five years until this Halcyon guy—who for some reason started making me think of the word _auger_ which made me annoyed for some reason—told her she would see me again. Annabeth promised she would try and contact Thalia to let her know about me. Still, I wish I could remember more about Thalia.

"Hey." Piper touched my arm. "You still with me?"

"Yeah… yeah, sorry."

I was grateful for Piper. I need a friend, and I was glad she started losing Aphrodite's blessing. The makeup was fading. Her hair was slowly going back to its old choppy style with the little braids down the sides. It made her look more real, and as far as I was concern, more beautiful.

I was sure that we never knew each other before the Grand Canyon and that our relationship was a trick of the Mist in Piper's mind. But the longer I spent with her, the more I wished it was real, but I decided try and not do anything until I was sure I didn't have anyone special waiting for me, which unfortunately mean freeing Hera. That's if we make it there alive.

At the end of the hallway we found ourselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. I was pretty sure I'd seen maps like this before, but in this one all the wind guys were winter, blowing ice and snow from each corner of the world.

The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, like I was a Christmas present she was waiting to open.

"This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be… chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

I don't think her definition of fun was the same as mine.

"Who are you?" Piper asked. "Why should we trust you?"

The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprise you don't recognized me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their Island homes were to warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow."

She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her—big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton.

"Okay—" I said, trying not to sound as nervous I was. "We're just here to talk. Once we're done we'll leave."

Khione smiled as she ended her little show. "So blissfully ignorant. That's what I like about you heroes. Now, come," she said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. "Let's see if you will survive your little talk."


	20. Jason's POV Part VIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VIII**

If the entry hall was cold, then the throne room was like a meat locker.

Mist hung in the air as I shivered and my breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forest, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of colored light—the aurora borealis—pulse along the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, so I had to step carefully. All around the room stood life size ice sculpture warriors—some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage—all frozen in various attack positions, swords raised, guns locked and loaded.

At least I _thought_ they were sculptures until I step between two Greek spearmen, and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they cross their javelins to block my path.

From the far end of the hall, a man's voice rang out in a language that sounded like French. The room was so long and misty, I couldn't see the other end; but whatever the man said, the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.

"It's fine," Khione said. "My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet."

"Super," I responded.

Zethes prodded me in the back with his sword. "Keep moving, Jason Junior."

"Please don't call me that."

"My father is not a patient man," Zethes warned, "and the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hair do very fast. Later, perhaps, I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products."

"Thanks," Piper grumbled. I could tell she had no plan to take up Zethes' offer.

They kept walking and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so I couldn't tell if his hair was gray or just white from the frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under that permafrost. Maybe he is a friendly wind god. I hope he is.

 _"Bienvenu,"_ the king said. _"Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?"_

Khione the snow goddess was about to speak when Piper stepped forward and curtsied.

 _"Vorte Majesté,"_ she said. _"Mon nom est Piper McLean, la fille d' Aphrodite. Et cela est Jason, fils de Zeus."_

With everything that went on today, I forgot what Annabeth said about Piper being able to speek French in any dialect due to her mother. It seemed that Piper even caught the king by surprise, and in a good way as he smiled.

 _"Vous êstes une fille d' Aphrodite, hein? Excellent!"_ The king continued as he turned to his daughter. _"Ll semble que vous ne deves pas traduire, Khione. Vous pouvez prendre du recul et attendre jusqu'à ce que je décide maintenant."_ He swept his hand toward her as if shooing her away.

I didn't need a translation to know Khione was told she wasn't needed for now.

Behind us, Zethes snorted, and Khione shot him a murderous look. She bowed stiffly to her father and took a step back.

The king then sized me up, and I decided it would be a good idea to bow. "Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask… why does a Greek god speak French?"

Piper translated for me and the king spoke once again in French.

"He speaks the language of his host country," Piper translated. "He says all gods do this. Most Greek gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks French."

The king said something else, and Piper turned pale.

"The king say…" she faltered. "He say—"

"Oh, allow me," Khione said. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?"

I tensed as the king smiled amiably, like he'd just delivered great news.

"Kill us?" I said. "Why?"

"Because," the king said, in a heavily accent English, "my lord Aeolus has command it."

Boreas rose. He stepped down from his throne and furled his wings against his back. As he approached, Khione and Zethes bowed. Piper and I quickly followed their example.

"I shall deign to speak your language," Boreas said, "as Piper McLean has honored me in mine. _Toujours_ , I have had fondness for the children of Aphrodite. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus… without hearing you out."

My gold coin seemed to grow heavy in my pocket. I didn't like our chances if we have to fight. All it would take is two seconds for me to summon my blade, and we would have to fight a god, two of his children, and an army of freeze dried warriors.

"Aeolus is the master of winds, right?" I asked. "Why would he want us dead?"

"You are demigods," Boreas said, as if this explained everything. "Aeolus' job is to contain the winds, and demigods have always caused him many headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleashed the winds and caused chaos. But the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer…"

Boreas waved his hand, and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air. Images of a battle flickered across the surface—a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward Manhattan skyline. Tiny, glowing figures—I would guess were the gods—swarmed around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank into the water and disappeared.

"The storm giant, Typhon," Boreas explained. "The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits—wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus' job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods—they didn't help. They did not even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and naturally this irritated him. Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again—"

"And his death released another wave of _venti_ ," I guessed. "Which made Aeolus even angrier."

 _"C'est vrai,"_ Boreas agreed. "And since Aeolus cannot take his anger on the gods—since they were his bosses and very powerful—but since the Olympians couldn't have won the war without demigods, Aeolus decided to get even on them. So he issued orders to us: demigods who come to us for aid are no longer to be tolerated. We are to crush your little mortal faces."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"That sounds… extreme," I ventured. "But you're not going to crush our faces yet, right? You're going to listen to us first, 'cause once you hear our quest—"

"Yes, yes," the king agreed. "Aeolus said you might seek my aid, and if it happens, I should listen to you before destroying you, as you might—how to put it?—make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to _listen_ , however. After that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I _will_ listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you."

"Great, thanks," I responded with a sigh of relief.

"Don't thank me," Boreas smiled. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see."

He gestured around the room to the various ice statues.

Piper made a strangled noise. "You mean—they're all demigods? Frozen demigods? They're alive?"

"An interesting question," Boreas conceded, as if it had never occurred to him before. "They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, which would be very messy."

Khione stepped behind me and put her cold finger on my neck. "My father gives me such lovely presents," she murmured in my ear. "Join our court. Perhaps I'll let your friends go."

"What?" Zethes broke in. "If Khione gets this one, then I deserve the girl. Khione always gets more presents!"

I rather not be one of Khione's _presents_ , and judging from Piper's face she felt the same about the idea of being one of Zethes.

"Now, children," Boreas said sternly. "Our guest will think you are spoiled! Besides, you moved too fast. We have not even heard the demigod's story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us."

I didn't like the situation we were in, and I'm really getting tired of Khione purring and stroking my neck like I was already hers. I didn't plan it, but electricity sparked along my skin. There was a loud _pop_ , and Khione flew backward, skidding across the floor.

Zethes laughed. "That's good! I'm glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now."

For a moment, Khione was too stunned to react. Then the air around her began to swirl with a micro blizzard. "You dare—"

"Stop," I yelled, with as much courage I could mustard. "You're not going to kill us. And you're not going to keep us. We're on a quest for the queen of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you're going to let us go."

That got their attention. Khione's blizzard swirled to a stop. Zethes lowered his sword. They both looked uncertainly at their father.

"Hmm," Boreas said. His eyes twinkled with either amusement or anger. "A son of Zeus, favored by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story."

I did as I was told, at least, as much as I know of—which was from the moment I woke up. Piper helped filled some of the parts of how she and Leo were chosen for this quest.

"All we ask is for guidance," Piper concluded for the both of us. "These storm spirits attacked us, and they're working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera."

The king stroke the icicles in his beard. Out the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.

"I know of these storm spirits," Boreas said. "I know where they are kept, and the prisoner they took."

"You mean Coach Hedge is alive?" I ask ed.

Boreas waved aside my question. "For now. But the one who controls these storm winds… It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues."

"Hera's in trouble," I responded. "In three days she's going to be—I don't know—consume, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise."

"Yes," Boreas agreed while—I swear he did—shooting Khione an angry look. "Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos—your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake in more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits—these are only the beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades… Olympus has good reason to fear."

I wasn't sure what all this meant, but I didn't like the way Khione was smiling—like _this_ was her definition of fun.

"So you'll help us?" I asked the king.

Boreas scowled. "I did not say that."

"Please, Your majesty," Piper said.

All of us turned to her. She had to be scared out of her mind, but she still looked beautiful and confident, even without the blessing of Aphrodite—which had completely worn off. She looked herself again, in day-old traveling clothes with choppy hair and no makeup. But she almost glowed with the warmth in the cold throne room. "If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You'd look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."

"She's pretty," Zethes mumbled. "I mean, she's right."

"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She's a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!"

I reached in my pocket and got ready to bring out my gold coin ready to act.

Something about my movement caught Boreas' attention. "What is that on your forearm, demigod?"

At first I was confused until I look and saw that my coat sleeve was pushed up, revealing the edge of my tattoos. Reluctantly, I showed them to Boreas.

The god's eyes widened. Khione actually hissed and stepped away.

Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly, an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. The god began to flicker as if he was changing forms. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius—a Roman sword like mine—hung to his side.

"Aquilon," I responded, even though I had no idea how I knew it.

The god inclined his head. "You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?"

I shifted my feet. "Uh… yes, your majesty."

"And Hera sent you there…" The winter god's eyes were full of mirth. "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken. No doubt that son of Apollo had unwillingly took part in it."

"Jason," Piper said nervously, "why did Boreas change shape? The toga, the wreath. What's going on?"

"It's his Roman form," I explained. "But what's going on—I don't know."

The god laughed. "No, I'm sure you don't. This should be very interesting to watch."

"Does that mean you'll let us go?" Piper asked.

"My dear," Boreas said, "There is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera's plan fails, which I'm sure it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again."

For a second I thought Khione had her cold fingers on my neck again, but then a I realized it wasn't her. It was the feeling that Boreas was right. That sense of wrongness that been bothering me since I arrived at Camp Half-Blood, and the risk I keep hearing about—Boreas knew what they meant.

"I don't suppose you could explain?" I asked.

"Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere in Hera's plan. No wonder she took your memory." Boreas chuckled, apparently still having a great time imagining demigods tearing each other apart. "You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I've been known to fall in love with mortals. Why, my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods—"

"Which explains why they are idiots," Khione growled.

"Stop it!" Zethes snapped back. "Just because you were born a full goddess—"

"Both of you, freeze," Boreas ordered, which must be powerful words in this house, because the two siblings went absolutely still. "Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of the gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow."

"I like the winter festivals," Zethes muttered.

"My point," Boreas snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city of course. Chicago—"

"Father!" Khione protested.

Boreas ignored his daughter as he continued. "If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Okay, sure," I responded. "So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds? She's the one who's trapped Hera?"

"Ah." Boreas grinned. "Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter."

 _Jupiter,_ I thought, _Before,, he called me son of Zeus._

"The one who controls the winds," Boreas continued, "yes, you will find her in Chicago. But _she_ is only a servant—one of which might destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for the real mistress who has imprison Hera—truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you."

"Father," Khione protested, "you can't simply let them—"

"I can do what I like," he said, his voice hardening. "I am still master here, am I not?"

The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument. Khione's eyes flashed with anger, but she clench her teeth. "As you wish, Father."

"Now go, demigods," Boreas said, "before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely."

We bowed as the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.

…

Back at the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked cold but unharmed. It even seemed he was cleaned up as his clothes looked newly washed, like he'd used the hotel's valet service. Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.

As Khione led us down the stairs, I noticed that Leo's eyes followed her. Leo started combing his hair with his hands. I quickly decided to warn Leo later about Khione.

At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper. "You may have fooled my father, girl, but you have not fooled me. We're not done yet." Then she turned to me. "And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."

"Boreas is right, you're nothing but a spoiled kid," I responded. "See you around, ice princess."

Khione's eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at a lost for words. She stormed back up the stairs, literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

"Be careful," Zethus warned. "She never forgets an insult."

Cal grunted in agreement. "Bad sister."

I wanted to question how dangerous can a goddess of snow can be, but some part of me decided not to.

Leo on other hand looked devastated. "What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!"

"We'll explain later," Piper said, giving me a look that I understood was: I would explain later.

Truth was, I wasn't even sure what had happened. Boreas had turned to Aquilon, his Roman form, as if my presence caused him to go schizophrenic.

The idea that I had been sent to Camp Half-Blood seemed to amuse the god, but Boreas—or Aquilon—hadn't let them go out of kindness. Cruel excitement had danced in his eyes, as if he'd just placed a bet on a dog fight.

 _You will tear each other apart,_ he said, _Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again._

Either way, I agreed with what Piper said about explaining it to Leo later.

"Be careful," Zethes said. "The winds here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You could make a lovely ice statue, in which I could check my reflection."

"Thanks," Piper said. "But I'd sooner play hockey with Cal."

"Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.

"Joking," Piper said. "And the storm winds aren't our worst problem, are they?"

"Oh, no," Zethes agreed. "Something else. Something worse."

"Worse," Cal echoed.

"Can you tell me?" Piper gave them a smile.

This time, the charm didn't work. The purple-winged Boreads shook their heads in unisons. The hangar doors open onto a freezing starry night, and Festus the dragon stumped his feet, anxious to fly.

"Ask Aeolus what is worse," Zethes said darkly. "He knows. Good luck."

He sounded like he did care what happened to us, even though a few minutes ago he'd wanted to make Piper into an ice sculpture.

"Thanks," I responded.

Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. "Don't get destroyed," he said which was probably the longest sentence he'd ever attempted. "Next time—hockey. Pizza. And make that goop."

I had no idea what the last part meant but Leo smiled. "Sure thing."

"Come on, guys." I stared out at the dark. I was anxious to get out of this cold penthouse, but I had a feeling it was the most hospitable place they'd see for a while. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."


	21. Piper's POV Part VII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VII**

I wasn't able to relax until the glow of Quebec City faded behind us.

"You were amazing," Jason told me, which would of made my day.

However, all I could think about was the trouble ahead. _Evil things are stirring_ , Zethe had warned us. I knew that first hand. As we got closer to the solstice, the less time I had to make my decision.

"Si vous saviez la vérité sur moi, vous pensez pas que ju suis tellemente incroyable," I told Jason in French, which basically meant: If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't think I was so amazing.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I said I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing.

I didn't turn to look at him, but I guess he was smiling.

"You did more than that. You made sure Boreas listen to what we have to say," Jason said. "If you haven't, I would probably end up one of Khione's subzero hero collection."

I wouldn't allow that, I thought. There was no way I would've let that ice witch keep Jason. Still, I was bothered by how Boreas changed form, and why he'd let us go. It had something to do with Jason's past, those tattoos on his arm. Boreas assumed Jason was some sort of Roman, and Romans didn't mix with Greeks. I have expected Jason to explain, but either he didn't want to talk about it, or didn't know how to explain it, or both. It seems that the more we learn about Jason's past, the easier it is to forget that the reason we're looking for his past in the first place is because he has amnesia.

Still, I'm starting to get the feeling that Jason was right about him not belonging in Camp Half-Blood. What if he really was an enemy? I can't stand the idea any more than I could stand Khione.

Leo passed us some sandwiches from his pack. He'd been quiet ever since we told him what happened in the throne room. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice."

"Trust me, man," Jason said, "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."

I couldn't help but smile, but at the same time Leo didn't looked pleased. He hadn't said much about his time in the palace, or why the Boreads had singled him out for smelling like fire. I knew Leo had some secrets since we met when he wouldn't tell me what happened to his mother and why he was in put in the foster system. But now it seems his secrets are coming out and he still doesn't want to talk about it.

Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus as well. The Bronze dragon grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air.

We ate our sandwiches as we flew. I had no idea how Leo stocked up on supplies—even with Beckendorf's help, but he'd even remembered to bring veggie rations for her. The cheese and avocado sandwich was awesome.

None of us talk. Whatever we might find in Chicago, we all knew Boreas had only let us go because he figured it was already a suicide mission.

The moon rose and stars turned overhead. My eyes started to feel heavy. The encounter with Boreas and his children scared me more than I would admit. Now that my stomach was full, the adrenaline rush I had started to fade.

 _Suck it up, cupcake!_ Coach Hedge would've yelled at me. _Don't be a wimp!_

I been thinking about the coach ever since Boreas told us he was still alive. I never really like Hedge, but he leaped off a cliff to save Leo, and he'd sacrificed himself to protect up back at the skywalk. I now realized that all the times at school when the coach had pushed me, yelled at me to run faster or do more push-ups, or even when he'd turned his back and let me fight my own battles with the mean girls, the old goat-man had be trying to help me in his own irritating way—trying to prepare me for the life as a demigod.

On the skywalk, Dylan the storm spirit had said something about the coach, too: how he'd been retired to Wilderness School because he was getting too old, like it was some sort of punishment. I wonder what that was about, and if it explained why the coach was always so grumpy. Whatever the truth, now that I know Hedge was alive, I had a strong compulsion to save him.

Don't get ahead of yourself, I chided to myself. You've got bigger problems. This trip won't have a happy ending.

I was a traitor, and it was only a matter of time before my friends found out.

I looked up at the stars and thought about a night long ago when my dad and I camped out in front of Grandpa Tom's house. Grandpa Tom died years before, but Dad had kept his house in Oklahoma because it was where he grew up.

We went back for a few days, with the idea of getting the place fixed up to sell, although I wasn't sure who'd want to buy a run-down cabin with shutters instead of windows and two tiny rooms that smelled like cigars. The first night was so stifling hot—no air conditioning in the middle of August—that Dad suggested we sleep outside.

We spread our sleeping bags and listened to the cicadas buzzing in the trees. I pointed out the constellations I read about—Hercules, Apollo's lyre, Sagittarius the centaur.

Dad crossed his arms behind his head. In his old T-shirt and jeans he looked like just another guy from Tahlequah Oklahoma, a Cherokee who might've never left tribal lands. "Your grandpa would say those Greek patterns are a bunch of bull. He told me the stars were creatures with glowing fur, like magic hedgehogs. Once, long ago, some hunters even capture a few in the forest. They didn't know what they'd done until nighttime, when the star creatures began to glow. Golden sparks flew from their fur, so the Cherokee released them back into the sky."

"You believe in magic hedgehogs?" I asked.

Dad laughed. "I think Grandpa Tom was full of bull, too, just like the Greeks. But it's a big sky. I supposed there's room for Hercules and hedgehogs."

We sat for a while in silence until I got the nerve to ask a question that been bugging me. "Dad, why don't you ever play Native American parts?"

The week before, he'd turned down several million dollars to play Tonto in the remake of _The Lone Ranger_. Piper was still trying to figure out why. He'd played all kinds of roles—a Latino teacher in a tough L.A. school, a dashing Israeli spy in an action-adventure blockbuster, even a Syrian terrorist in a James Bond movie. And, of course, he would always be known as the King of Sparta. But if the part was Native American—it didn't matter what _kind_ of role it was—Dad turned it down.

He winked at me. "Too close to home, Pipes. Easier to pretend I'm something I'm not."

"Doesn't that get old? Aren't you ever tempted, like, if you found the perfect part that could change people's opinions?"

If there's a part like that, Pipes," he said sadly, "I haven't found it."

I looked at the stars, trying to imagine them as glowing hedgehogs. All I saw were the sticks and figures I knew—Hercules running across the sky, on his way to kill monsters. Dad was probably right. The Greeks and the Cherokee were equally crazy. The stars were just balls of fire.

"Dad," I said, "If you don't like being close to home, why are we sleeping in Grandpa Tom's yard?"

He laughed, which echoed in the quiet Oklahoma night. "I think you know me too well, Pipes."

"You're not really going to sell this place, are you?"

"Nope," he sighed. "I'm probably not."

I blinked and shake myself out of the memory. I quickly realized I'd been falling asleep on the dragon's back. How could my dad pretend to be so many things he wasn't? I was trying to do that now, and it was tearing me apart.

Maybe I could pretend for a little longer. I could dream of finding a way to save my father without betraying my friends—even if right now a happy ending seemed about as likely as magic hedgehogs.

I leaned against Jason's warm chest. He didn't complained as I drifted off to sleep.

…

In my dream, I was back on the mountaintop. The ghostly purple bonfire cast shadows across the trees. My eyes stung from the smoke, and the ground was so warm, the soles of my boots felt sticky.

A voice from the dark rumbled, "You forget your duty."

I couldn't see him, but it was definitely my least favorite giant—the one who called himself Enceladus. I looked around for any sign of my father, but the pole where he'd been chained was no longer there.

"Where is he?" I demanded. "What've you done with him?"

The giant's laugh was like lava hissing down a volcano. "His body is safe enough, though I fear the poor man's mind can't take much more of my company. For some reason he finds me—disturbing. You must hurry, girl, or I fear there will be little left of him to save."

"Let him go!' I screamed. "Take me instead. He's just a mortal!"

"But, my dear," the giant rumbled, "we must prove our love to our parents. That's what _I'm_ doing. Show me you value your father's life by doing what I ask. Who's more important—your father, or the deceitful goddess who used you, toyed with your emotions, manipulated your memories, eh? What is Hera to you?"

I began to tremble with anger and fear that was boiling inside me. "You're asking me to betray my friends."

"Sadly, my dear, your friends are destined to die. Their quest is impossible. Even if you succeed, you heard the prophecy: unleashing Hera's rage would mean your destruction. The only question now—will you die with your friends, or live with your father."

The bonfire roared. I tried to step back, but my feet were too heavy. I realized the ground was pulling me down, clinging to my boots like wet sand. When she looked up, a shower of purple sparks had spread across the sky, and the sun was rising in the east. A patchwork of cities glowed in the valley below, and far to the west, over a line of rolling hills I saw a familiar landmark rising from the sea of fog: the Golden Gate Bridge. We were at San Francisco—well at least near it.

"Why are you showing me this?" I asked. "You're revealing where you are."

"Yes, you know this place," the giant said. "Lead your friends here instead of their true destination, and I will deal with them. Or even better, arrange their deaths before you arrive. I don't care which. Just be at the summit by noon of the solstice, and you may collect your father and go in peace."

"I can't," I responded. "You can't ask me—"

"To betray that foolish boy Valdez, who always irritated you and always hiding a secret from you? To give up a boyfriend you never really had? Is that more important than your father?"

"I will find a way to defeat you," I said. "I'll save my father _and_ my friends."

The giant growled in the shadows. "I was once proud too. I thought the gods could never defeat me. Then they hurled a mountain on top of me, crushed me into the ground, where I struggled for eons, half-conscious in pain. That taught me patience, girl. It taught me not to act rashly. Now I've clawed my way back with the help of the waking earth. I am only the first. My brethren will follow. We will not be denied our vengeance—not this time. And you, Piper McLean, need a lesson in humility. I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth. But before I do, keep this in mind. The one you called your sister: Silena Beauregard, she was in your shoes at one time. Maybe for not the same reason, but—well, you'll find out."

"What?" I asked, "What do you mean?"

The giant laughed as the dream dissolved.

…

When I woke up, I was free-falling through the air, and did the one thing that came natural, screaming for my life.


	22. Piper's POV Part VIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part VIII**

I was tumbling through the sky. Far below I saw city lights glimmering in the early dawn, and several hundred yards away the body of the bronze dragon spinning out of control, it's wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a bad wired lightbulb.

A body shot past her—Leo, screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds. "Not coooooool!"

I tried to call to him, but he was already too far below.

Somewhere above her, Jason yelled, "Piper, level out! Extend your arms and legs!"

It was hard for me to control my fear, but I did what he said and regained balance. Now I was falling spread-eagle like a skydiver, the wind was underneath me like a solid block of ice. Then Jason was there, wrapping his arms around my waist.

Thank god, I thought. But part of me also thought: Great. Second time this week he hugged me, and both times it's because I'm plummeting to my death.

Then I remember that Leo was still falling. "We have to get Leo!"

Our fall slowed as Jason controlled the winds, but we were still lurching up and down like the winds didn't want to cooperate.

"Gonna get rough," Jason warned. "Hold on!"

I locked my arms around him, and Jason shot toward the ground. I think I screamed, but sound was ripped from my mouth as my vision blurred.

And then, _thump_! We slammed into another warm body—Leo still wriggling and cursing.

"Stop fighting," Leo said. "It's me!"

"My dragon!" Leo yelled. "You gotta save Festus!"

Jason was already struggling to keep the three of us aloft, and I knew there was no way he could help a fifty-ton metal dragon. But before I could try to reason with Leo, I heard an explosion below us. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and Leo sobbed, "Festus!"

Jason's face reddened with strain as he tried to maintain an air cushion beneath us, but intermittent slow-downs were the best he could manage. Rather than free-falling, it felt like we were bouncing down a giant staircase, a hundred feet at a time, which wasn't doing my stomach any favors.

As we wobbled and zigzagged, I could make out the details of the factory complex below—warehouses, smokestacks, barbed wire fences, and parking lots lined with snow covered vehicles. We were still high enough that if we hit the ground, it would flatten us like roadkill—or skykill—when Jason groaned, "I can't—"

That's when we dropped like stones.

We hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into the darkness.

Fair tip, when falling at a certain height, don't try to land feet first. Because that's what I did, and my feet didn't like that at all. Pain flared in my left ankle as I crumpled against a cold metal surface.

For a few seconds I wasn't conscious of anything but pain—pain so bad that was so bad that my ears rang and my vision went red.

Then I heard Jason's voice somewhere below echoing through the building. "Piper! Where's Piper?"

"Ow, bro!" Leo groaned. "That's my back! I'm not a sofa! Piper, where are you?"

"Up here," I managed with a whimper.

I heard shuffling and grunting, then feet pounding on metal steps.

My vision began to clear. I was on a metal catwalk that ringed the warehouse. Leo and Jason landed on ground level, and were now coming up the stairs toward me. I looked at my foot, and a wave of nausea swept over me. I don't think my toes were supposed to bend that way.

I forced myself to look away before I threw up. I need to focus on something else, anything else.

The hole we made in the roof was a ragged starburst twenty feet above. I have no idea how we survived a drop like that. Hanging from the ceiling, a few electric bulbs flickered dimly, but they didn't do much to light the enormous space. Next to me, the corrugated metal wall was emblazoned with a company logo, but it was almost completely spray-painted over with graffiti. Down in the shadowy warehouse, I could see trucks on assembly line. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years.

Finally, Jason and Leo reached my side. However Leo seemed to be covered in some kind of gunk that smelled like rotting carcasses.

Leo started to ask, "You okay…" Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not."

"Thanks for the reassurance," I groaned.

"You'll be fine," Jason said with a slight worried in his voice. "Leo, you got any first aid supplies?"

"Yeah—yeah, sure." He dug around his tool belt and pull out a wad of gauze and a roll of duct tape—both of which seemed too big for the belt's pockets. I noticed that the tool belt yesterday morning, but he hadn't thought to ask Leo about it. It didn't look like anything special—just one of those wraparound leather apron with a bunch of pockets, like a blacksmith or a carpenter might wear. And it seemed to be empty.

"How did you—" I tried to sit up, and winced. "How did you pull that stuff from an empty belt?"

"Magic," Leo said. "It's sort of like a substitute for a weapon for me since Beckendorf and I didn't have time to put one together. I haven't figured it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?"

Jason snatch away the mints. "That's great, Leo. Now, can you fix her food?"

"I'm a mechanic, man, not a doctor," Leo stated before snapping his fingers. "Wait, what about that godly healing stuff they fed you at camp—Rambo food?"

"Ambrosia, dummy," I said through gritted teeth. "There should be some in my bag, if it's not crushed."

Jason carefully pulled my backpack off my shoulders. He rummaged through the supplies Silena gave me, and found a Ziploc full of smashed pastries like lemon bars. He broke off a piece and fed it to me.

The taste was noting what I expected. It reminded me of Dad's black bean soup from when he was a little girl. He used to feed it to me whenever I was sick. The memory helped me relax even though it made me sad. The pain in her ankle subsuded.

"More," I said.

Jason frowned. "Piper, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up. I think I try to set your fut."

My stomach fluttered. "Have you ever done that before?"

"Yeah… I think so."

Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half for a splint. Then he got the gauze and duct tape ready.

"Hold her leg still," Jason instructed Leo. "Piper, this is going to hurt."

When Jason set the foot, I flinched so hard I punched Leo in the arm, and he yelled almost as much as I did. When my vision cleared and I could breathe normally again, I found that my foot was pointing the right way and my ankle was splinted with plywood, gauze, and duct tape.

"Ow," I responded.

"Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo rubbed his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."

"Sorry," I apologized. "And don't call me 'beauty queen,' or I'll punch you again."

"You did great." Jason found a canteen in my pack and gave me some water. After a few minutes, my stomach began to calm down.

Once I wasn't screaming in pain, I could hear the wind howling outside. Snowflakes fluttered through the hole in the roof, and after our meeting with Khione, snow was the last thing I wanted to see.

"What happened to the dragon?" I asked. "Where are we?"

Leo's expression turned sullen. "I don't know what happened with Festus. He jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall."

I remember Enceladus' warning: _I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth_. It seemed impossible, but I started to wonder if Enceladus did this.

Leo pointed to the logo on the wall. "As far as where we are…" It was hard to see through the graffiti, but I could make out a large red eye with the stenciled words: Monocle motors, assembly plant 1.

"Closed car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crashed landed in Detroit."

I heard about closed car plants in Detroit, so that made sense. But it seemed like a pretty depressing place to land. How far is that from Chicago?"

Jason handed me the canteen. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."

"Maybe I can fix Festus if he's not badly damaged," Leo said pulling out some screws from his goop-covered pocket and started fiddling with them. "Hopefully the control disc is still in tact."

"Wouldn't the control disc be as old as the dragon? Maybe it's the reason for what happened?" Jason asked.

Leo shook his head. "Beckendorf reassured me that Festus' disc is a different one from what the dragon had before."

I wanted to tell the truth, that what happened to Festus was my fault but I couldn't get the words out. At least, not in a language they could understand. Plus there was something Enceladus said about Silena that been bothering me. What did he meant by she was in my shoes not too long ago?

Leo stood up. "I better scout for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. Jason, why don't you stay with Piper, bro?"

"It's too dangerous," Jason said. "You shouldn't go by yourself."

"I'll be fine," Leo said as he patted one of his pockets. "Just don't run off with me."

Leo reached into his magic Tool belt, pulled out a flashlight, and headed down the stairs, leaving Jason and me.

Jason gave me a smile, though he looked nervous like he did after our first kiss together up on the Wilderness School dorm roof—that cute little scar on his lip curving into a crescent. Although the memory gave me a warm feeling, I had to shake it off and reminded myself that it wasn't real. I mean, my feelings might be real, but the memories were not.

I decided to focus on my ankle. As long as I didn't move it, the pain wasn't bad. "You did a good job," I told Jason, "Where'd you learn first aid?"

Jason shrugged. "Same answer as always. I don't know. Any memory that came to me is fuzzy."

I could understand that with the Mist memories.

 _A boyfriend you never really had,_ Enceladus had said. _Is that more important than your own father?_

"Maybe if we find the Hunters your sister can help us," I said, "With your memories I mean."

"Maybe," Jason said as he started to frown. Now that I think about it, he been frowning like that every time Thalia was brought up.

"Okay, what's going on?" I asked, "You seem to frown every time your sister comes up."

"Just something Annabeth told me," Jason said.

"What?"

Jason sighed. "Apparently during the time she thought I was dead, Thalia build up a family."

Now I frowned. "You mean with the hunters?" I asked.

"No, well I guess that, but I meant before it," Jason said. He took out the picture he had and showed it to me. I understood immediately just by looking at it.

The photo was a group picture with Thalia along with a fourteen-year-old guy with sandy-blonde hair, and two seven year olds: one was obviously Annabeth, and the other was a kid with dark hair and sea green eyes. I remember Silena telling me that Annabeth and Percy met when Annabeth was on the run, so I guess the seven year old dark kid was Percy. That, or Annabeth is dating a guy that's seven years older than her.

"So Thalia took in demigods as her siblings," I guessed.

Jason nodded. "Annabeth said since I was Thalia's brother, she would accept me as one as well, but I still can't shake this feeling that I was replaced."

I couldn't help but smile. Now I understood why Annabeth was trying to help Jason out, been there for him during the campfire. She was just trying to act like a sister to him just as Thalia was a sister to her. But I can see where Jason was coming at.

"I don't think Thalia was trying to replace you," I reinsure him, "You said it yourself, once she found out you were alive she continued her search for you, right? That just shows she still cared about you as her brother."

Jason smiled and nodded. "Thanks Piper."

I smiled back. Maybe I should go ahead and tell Jason about my dad. Maybe Jason could help me stop Enceladus and save my dad.

But before I could, somewhere below, there was a sound of metal clanged against metal, like a door slamming shut. The sound echoed through the warehouse.

Jason stood. He took out his coin and flipped it, snatching his golden swords out of the air. He peered over the railing. "Leo?" He called.

No answer.

He crouched down next to me. "I don't like this."

"He could be in trouble," I responded. "Go check."

"I can't leave you alone."

"I'll be fine." I felt terrified, but I wasn't about to admit it. I drew my dagger Katoptris and tried to look confident. "Anyone gets close, I'll skewer them."

Jason hesitated. "I'll leave you the pack. If I'm not back in five minutes—"

"Panic?" I suggested.

He managed to smile. "I'm glad you're back to normal. The makeup and the dress were a lot more intimidating than the dagger."

"Get going, Sparky, before I skewer _you_."

"Sparky?"

Even offended, Jason looked hot. It wasn't fair, but then again, none of this was fair, especially now. Jason made his way to the stairs and disappeared into the dark.

I counted my breaths, trying to gauge how much time had passed. I lost track at around forty-three. Then something in the warehouse went _bang_!

The echo died. My heart was pounding, but I couldn't call out. My instincts told me it might be a bad idea to do it.

I stared at my splinted ankle. _It's not like I can run_. Then I looked up again at the Monocle Motors sign. It been bugging me, as I was being watched. The little voice in my head pestered me, warning of danger. Something from Greek mythology…

My hand went to my backpack and I took out the ambrosia squares. If too much burn me up, but I just need enough to help my ankle.

 _Boom_. The sound was closer this time, directly below me. I dug out a whole square of ambrosia and stuffed it in my mouth. Well, Jason was right about not giving me a whole square, because once I did that, my heart raced faster and my skin felt feverish.

Hesitantly, I flexed my ankle against the splint. No pain, no stiffness at all. I cut through the duct tape with my dagger and heavy steps on the stairs—like metal boots.

It didn't sound like Jason, but then again he could be carrying Leo.

Finally I called out, "Jason?"

"Yeah," he said from the darkness. "On my way up."

It sounded like Jason, but my instincts still told me to run.

I manage to get on my feet as the steps got closer. I remember reading about some monsters being able to mimic human voices but I wasn't sure if this could be the case.

"It's okay," Jason's voice promised.

At the top of the stairs, a face appeared out of the darkness—a hideous black grin, a smashed nose, and a single blood shoot eye in the middle of his forehead.

"It's fine," the Cyclops said in a perfect imitation of Jason's voice. "You're just in time for dinner."


	23. Leo's POV Part VII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VII**

I found Festus right where there use to be a dozen porta-potties that was supposed to be in the factory hard, flattened by him. Fortunately, they hadn't been used in a long time, and the fireball from the crash incinerate most of the contents; but still, there were some pretty gross chemicals leaking out of the wreckage. I had to pick my way through and try not to breath through my nose. Heavy snow was coming down, but the dragon's hide was steaming hot. Of course, that didn't bother me at all.

After a few minutes of checking Festus over and finding no dents or destruction what-so-ever, I guessed that the fireball was from the build up gasses inside the toilet units. But I didn't see any reason for Festus to stop working like he did.

I decided to chech the control panel on the dragon's head. When I opened the panel my heart sank. "Oh, Festus, what the heck?"

Everything inside seemed to have flash-freeze when it should've been to hot for ice to form. The ice had caused the wiring to overload and char the control disk. But I had no idea how that could of happened. Sure the dragon wasn't at the best condition, but Beckendorf reassured me that everything in the control panel was in good condition.

The wires weren't a problem though. I could replace them. It was the control disc. The Greek letters and pictures carved around the edges, which probably held all kind of magic that brings the dragon to life, were blurred and blackened. That control disc was the only thing on Festus that was in good condition, and now it was damaged, and I couldn't replace it.

I imagine my mom's voice: _Most problems look worse than they are,_ mijo _. Nothing is unfixable._

My mom could repair just about anything, but I was pretty sure she'd never worked on a magical dragon.

I clenched my teeth and decided I had to try. I wasn't walking from Detroit to Chicago in a snowstorm, and I wasn't going to be responsible for letting my friends down.

"Right," I muttered, brushing the snow of my shoulders.

"Gimme a nylon bristle detail brush, some nitrile gloves, and maybe a can of aerosol cleaning solvent."

The tool belt obliged. I couldn't help smiling as I pulled out the supplies. The belt's pockets did have limits. They wouldn't give me anything magic, like Jason's sword, or anything huge, like a chain saw. I tried asking for both. But it would hold the Myrmekes Gunk Jar—my guess is because it wasn't made from magic. And if I ask for too many things at once, the belt needed a cooldown time before it could work again. The more complicated the request, the longer the cooldown. But anything small and simple like you might find around a workshop—all Leo had to do was ask.

I began cleaning off the control disc, only stopping once in a while to use my flames to melt away the snow collecting on the snow. I basically went into autopilot mode as my hands worked as my thought wandered.

Beckendorf said it was a common trait of children of Hephaestus. We can multi-task as long as we're working with machinery or in the forges. Another trait we get from our dad. Hephaestus was well known keeping a conversation while building and repairing any of his work.

Anyways, I couldn't believe how stupid I'd acted back at Boreas' palace. I should've figured a family of winter gods would hate me on sight. Son of the fire god flying a fire-breathing dragon into an ice penthouse—yeah, maybe not the best move. Still, I hated the feeling like a reject. Jason and Piper got to visit the throne room while I wait in the lobby with Cal, the demigod of hockey and major head injuries.

 _Fire is bad_ , Cal had told him.

Beckendorf told me most incidents caused by fire users were caused by the best intentions, like trying to stop a medieval plague from spreading, or stopping a earthen woman from going after my mom. But that's easy to say when you're not a fire user.

I do know one thing, I can't keep the truth from my friends much longer. Ever since Camp Half-Blood, one line of that Great Prophecy kept coming back to me: _To storm or fire the world must fall._ I was the fire guy, no doubt about that and I fear how my friends would react when they find out. Will they be understanding like Beckendorf, or would they kick me out.

Then there was Khione. Dang, that girl was fine. I knew I acted like a total fool, but I couldn't help myself. I had my clothes cleaned with the one-hour valet service—which had been totally sweet, by the way. I combed my hair—which never was an easy job—and even discovered the tool bag could make breath mints, all in hopes that I could get close to her. Naturally, no such luck.

Getting frozen out—story of my life—by my relatives, foster homes, you name it. Hera even manipulated the Mist of my memories to make me feel like the third wheel when I thought Jason and Piper were dating.

Yeah, that's right, I knew the truth. Beckendorf broke the news too. I wasn't too upset about it. It was a chance to reset.

But now Jason and Piper were heading toward being a couple again—that was obvious from the start. I just wish wasn't the odd man out again.

"Enough, Valdez," I scolded myself. "Nobody's going to play violins for you just because you're not important. Fix the stupid dragon."

Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, even to myself. But what can I say. Beckendorf entrusted me with Festus and this happened.

I got so involved my work, I wasn't sure how much time I had passed before I heard the voice.

 _You're wrong, Leo,_ it said.

I fumbled my brush and dropped it into the dragon's head. I stood up, but I couldn't see who'd spoken. Then I looked at the ground. The snow and chemical sludge from the toilets, even the asphalt itself was shifting like it was turning to liquid. A ten-foot-wide area formed eyes, a nose, and a mouth—the giant face of the sleeping woman.

She didn't exactly speak. Her lips didn't move. But I could hear her voice in my head, as if the vibrations were coming through the ground straight into my feet and resonating up my skeleton.

 _They need you desperately,_ she said. _In some ways, you are the most important of the seven—like the control disc of the dragon's brain. Without you, the power of the others means nothing. They will never reach me, never stop me. And I will fully wake._

"You." I was shaking so badly I wasn't sure I spoken aloud. I haven't heard that voice since I was eight, but it was her: the earthen woman from the machine shop. "You killed my mom."

The face shifted. The mouth formed a sleepy smile like it was having a pleasant dream. _Ah, but Leo. I am your mother too—the First Mother. Do not oppose me. Walk away now. Let my son Porphyrion rise and become king, and I will ease your burdens. You will tread lightly on the earth._

I grabbed a porta-potty seat—which was the closest thin I could find—and threw it at the face. "Leave me alone!"

The toilet seat sank into the liquid earth. Snow and sludge rippled, and the face dissolved.

I waited for the face to reappear, but it didn't. I want to think I imagine it, but I knew better.

Then from the direction of the factory, I heard a crash—like two dump trucks slamming together. Metal crumpled and groaned, and the noise echoed across the yard. I knew instantly my friends were in trouble.

 _Walk away now,_ the voice urged.

"Not likely," I growled, "Give me my Myrmekes gunk?"

I pulled out the jar of the gunk—which I put in my tool belt back at the palace when my clothes were being cleaned.

I remember what Beckendorf said about it: _It's really hard to cover up demigod scent. But this stuff has proven to be resourceful._

"I hope you're right," I responded.

I opened the jar, and compared to the sludge, it wasn't too bad. I smeared just enough of it on my face, armpits, hands, and once in a while on my clothes, only leaving me half a jar left before I put it back in my tool belt.

"Now gimme the biggest hammer you got."

I reached into my tool belt and pulled out a three pound hammer with a doubled-faced head the size of a baked potato. Then I jumped off the dragon's back and ran toward the warehouse.


	24. Leo's POV Part VIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VIII**

I didn't stop until I was at the doors. The voice of the earth woman still rang in my ears, reminding me of my mother's death. The last thing I want to do was plunge into another dark warehouse. Suddenly I felt like I was eight years old again, alone and helpless was someone he cared about was trapped and in trouble.

Stop it, I told myself. That's how she wants you to feel.

But that didn't make me feel any less scared. I took a deep breath and peered inside. Nothing looked different. Gray morning light filtered through the hole of the roof. A few lightbulbs flickered, but most of the factory floor was still lost in shadows. I could make out the catwalk above, the dim shapes of heavy machinery along the assembly line, but no movement. No sign of my friends.

I almost called out, but then I sense something I couldn't identify—some kind of smell. Something smelled wrong—like burning motor oil and sour breath.

Something not human was inside the factory. I was certain of that.

I slipped inside and ducked behind a cargo container. Slowly gripping my hammer, I worked my way toward the center of the room, hiding behind boxes and hollow truck chassis. Finally I reached the assembly line. I crouch behind the nearest piece of machinery—a crane with a robotic arm.

That's when I heard Piper's voice called out: "Leo, is that you? Help!"

I peeked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain from a crane on the opposite side, was a massive truck engine—just dangling thirty feet up, as if it had been left there when the factory was abandoned. Below it on the conveyor belt sat a truck chassis, and clustered around it were three dark shapes the size of forklifts. Nearby, dangling from chains on two other robotic arms were two smaller shapes—one of which was twisting around. I couldn't get a good look, but I doubt it was an engine.

Then one of the forklift shapes rose, and I realized it was a humanoid of massive size. "Told you it was nothing. One of you probably left your food rotting again," the thing rumbled.

One of the other forklift-sized lumps shifted. "Maybe you're right. Not even a child of Pluto would smell that bad."

"The girl must be lying about a third demigod," the first one said. "Let's get cooking."

 _Snap._ A bright orange light sizzled to life—an emergency flare—and I was temporarily blinded. I ducked behind the crane until the spots cleared from my eyes. Then I took another peep and saw a nightmare scene even Tía Callida couldn't have dreamed up.

The two smaller things dangling from crane arms turned out to be Jason and Piper. Both hung upside down, tied by their ankles and cocooned with chains up to their necks. Piper was flailing around, trying to free herself. Her mouth was gagged and she looked a pale as if she was getting over a fever, but at least she was alive and she looked better than Jason. Jason hung limply from his crane arm with his eyes rolled up in his head and a red welt the size of an apple had swollen over his left eyebrow.

On the conveyer belt, the bed of the unfinished pickup trucks was being used as a fire pit. The emergency flare had ignited a mixture of tires and wood, which, from the smell of it, had been doused in kerosene. A big metal pole was suspended over the flames—a spit, I realized, which meant this was a cooking fire.

The most terrifying of all were the cooks.

Three massive humanoids gathered around the fire. Two were standing, stoking the flames. The largest one crouched with his back to me. The two facing him were each ten feet tall, with hairy muscular bodies and skin that glowed red in the firelight. One of the monsters wore a chain mail loincloth that looked really uncomfortable. The other two wore a ragged toga made of fiberglass insulation, which even I know was a bad wardrobe idea. Those two I would guess were twins. Each had a brutish face with a single eye in the center of their foreheads. Basically they were all cyclopes.

My eyes started quaking. I'd seen some weird things so far—storm spirits and winged gods and a metal dragon. But this was different. These were actual, flesh-and-blood, ten-foot-tall living monsters who wanted to eat my friends for dinner.

I was so terrified I could hardly think. If only Festus was in working condition. I may not know much about Cyclopes, but Beckendorf taught me a few powers of Festus that doesn't require it breathing fire to destroy monsters. But all had was a tool belt and a backpack. My three-pound club hammer looked awfully small compared to those Cyclopes.

 _This_ is what the sleeping earth lady had been talking about. She wanted me to walk away and leave my friends to die. No way I was going to let that happen, and _definitely_ no way I was going to let that earth lady make me feel powerless—never again. I slipped off my backpack and quietly started to unzip it.

The Cyclops in the chain mail loincloth walked over to Piper, who squirmed and tried to head-butt him in the eye. "Can I take her gag off now? I like it when they scream."

The question was directed at the third Cyclops, apparently the leader. The crouching figure grunted, and Loincloth ripped the gag off Piper's mouth.

She didn't scream. She took a shaky breath like she was trying to keep herself calm.

Meanwhile, I found what I wanted in my pack: a stack of tiny remote control unites from Bunker 9. At least I _hoped_ that's what they were. The robotic crane maintenance panel was easy to find. I slipped a screwdriver from my tool belt and went to work, but I had to go slowly. The leader Cyclops was only twenty feet from me. The monsters obviously had excellent senses so to pull this off, I have to be as quiet as possible. At least I know they won't be able to catch my scent. That was one thing working to my favor, the Myrmekes gunk. Every once in while I would look up to check on my friends.

The Cyclops in the toga poked at the fire, which was now blazing away and billowing noxious black smoke toward the ceiling. His buddy Loincloth glowered at Piper, waiting for her to do something entertaining. "Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!'

When Piper finally spoke, her tone was calm and reasonable, like she was a naughty puppy up to something. "Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go."

Loincloth scratched his big ugly head. He turned to his friend in the fiberglass toga. "She's kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go."

Torque, the dude in toga, growled. "I saw her first, Sump. _I'll_ let her go!"

Sump and Torque started to argue, but the third Cyclops rose and shouted, "Fools!"

I nearly dropped my screwdriver from the shock of the realization that the third Cyclopes was a _female_. She was several feet taller than Torque and Sum, and even beefier. She wore a tent of chain mail cut like one of those sack dresses my mean old Aunt Rosa use to wear. What were they call? A muumuu? Yeah, the Cyclops lady had a chain mail muumuu. Her greasy black hair was matted in pigtails, woven with copper wires and metal washers. Her nose and mouth were thick and mashed together like she spend her life smashing her face into walls; but her single red eye glittered with evil intelligence.

The woman stalked over to Sum and pushed him aside, knocking over the conveyor belt. Torque backed away quickly.

"The girl is Venus' spawn," the lady Cyclops snarled. "She's using charmspeak on you."

Piper started to say, "Please, ma'am—"

"Rarr!" The lady Cyclops grabbed Piper around the waist. "Don't try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!"

I feared that Ma Gasket would crush Piper, but instead she just dropped Piper and left her dangling by her chains. Then Ma Gasket started yelling at Sump about how stupid he was.

My hands worked furiously. I twisted wires and turned switches, hardly thinking about what I was doing. I finished attaching the remote. Then I crept over to the next robotic arm while the Cyclopes were talking.

"—eat her last, Ma?" Sump was saying.

"Idiot!" Ma Gasket yelled, which made me realized that Sump and Torque were her sons. "I should've thrown you out on the streets when you were babies, like _proper_ Cyclops children instead of keeping you. You might have learned some useful skills. Now stoke the fire, Torque! And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat these demigods without salsa!"

"Yes, Ma. I mean no, Ma. I mean—"

"Go get it!" Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump's head. Sump crumpled to his knees and I thought for sure he was dead. However, Sump managed to push the chassis off his head. Then he staggered to his feet and ra n off to fetch the salsa. Either Cyclops have thick skulls or Sump got hit by trucks a lot.

I finished wiring the second machine and moved toward the third. As I dashed between robotic arms, I made sure the Cyclopes didn't notice me, which they didn't, but I saw that Piper did. Her expression turned from terror to disbelief.

She must of decided to help me with my crazy plan, without knowing what it was, because she looked away and faked a gasp of pain.

"What's the matter, girl? So fragile I broke you?"

"I think it's my ribs, ma'am. If I'm busted up inside, I'll taste terrible."

Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. "Good one. The last hero we ate—remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he?"

"Yes, Ma," Torque said. "Tasty. Little bit stringy."

"He tried a trick like that. Said he was on medication. But he tasted fine!"

"Tasted like mutton," Torque recalled. "Purple shirt. Talk in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good."

My fingers froze on the maintenance panel. Purple shirt? Like the one Jason wore on the bus? And they said the guy spoke Latin—just like Jason. Could the two be connected? Could we have found something about Jason's past?

Apparently, Piper was thinking the same thing s me because she asked, "Purple shirt? Latin?"

"Good eating," Ma Gasket said fondly. "Point is, girl, we're not as dumb as people think! We're not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern Cyclopes."

I forced myself back to work and left the interrogation to Piper. If I was going to have any chance in defeating these monsters, I have to move fast before Sump came back with the salsa.

I looked up at the engine block suspended right above the Cyclopes' campsite. I wished I could use that—it would make a great weapon. But the crane holding it was on the opposite side of the conveyor belt. There was no way I could get over there without being seen, and besides, I was running short on time.

The last part of my plan was the trickiest. From my tool belt I summoned some wires, a radio adapter, and a small screwdriver and started to build a universal remote. For the first time I send a silent thank you to my dad—Hephaestus—for the magic tool belt. Sure it was Beckendorf that gave it too me, but I had a feeling the tool belt was one of my dad's ideas.

 _Get me out of here, and maybe you're not such a jerk_ , I prayed.

Piper kept talking, laying on the praise. "Oh, I've heard about the northern Cyclopes! I never knew you were so big and clever!"

"Flattery won't work either," Ma Gasket said, though she sounded pleased. "It's true, you'll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around."

"But aren't Cyclopes good?" Piper asked. "I thought you made weapons for the gods."

"Bah! I'm very good. Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the gods. True, our cousins, the Elder Cyclopes, and a few of those god-born cyclopes do work for them, thinking they're so high and mighty because they got the approval of the gods, but they're the southern cousins, but they're idiots! We're Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we're the best! Founded Monocle Motors in this factory—the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs! And yet—bah! Forced to shut down. Laid off most of our tribe. The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No more need for Cyclops weapons. Not unless they're meant for the gods."

Just then the wires sparked in my hand. The Cyclopes froze and turned in my direction. Then Torque picked up a truck and threw it at me.

I rolled as the truck steamrolled over the machinery.

I got to my feet, and Ma Gasket spotted me. She yelled. "Torque, you pathetic excuse for Cyclops, get him!"

Torque barreled toward me. I was forced to gunned the toggle on my makeshift remote.

Torque was fifty feet away. Twenty feet.

Then the first robotic arm whirred to life. A three-ton yellow metal claw slammed the Cyclops in the back so hard he landed flat on his face. Before Torque could recover, the robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him straight up.

"AHHHHHHH!" Torque rocketed into the gloom. The ceiling was too dark for me to see what happened next, but judging the harsh metal _clang_ that was followed by a rain of golden monster dust, I say he hit one of the support girders and was disintegrated.

Ma Gasket stared at me in shock. "My son… You… You…"

As if on cue, Sump lumbered into the firelight with a case of salsa. "Ma, I got the extra-spicy—"

He never got the chance to finish as a I spun the remote's toggle, making the second robotic arm whacked Sump in the chest. The salsa case exploded like a piñata and Sump flew backwards, right into the base of my third machine. Sump may have been immune to getting hit with truck chassis, but he wasn't immune to a ten thousand pound force dropped from the crane arm. It crashed into him and caused him to explode into dust like a broken flour sack.

Two cyclopes down. All that was left was Ma Gasket, who was looking at me with pure rage in her single eye. She grabbed the nearest crane arm and ripped it off its pedestal with a savage roar. "You busted my boys! Only _I_ get to bust my boys!"

I was about to control the other two cranes into crashing into her when Ma Gasket used the crane arm she had to smash the other two before swinging it at me. I yelped and rolled to one side as it demolished the machine next to me.

Maybe destroying the Cyclopes one at a time wasn't my best idea, and maybe I should have destroyed the mother Cyclopes first.

She stood about twenty feet from me now, next to the cooking fire. Her fists were clenched, her teeth bared. She looked ridiculous in her chain mail muumuu and her greasy pigtails—but given the murderous glare in her huge red eye and the face she was twelve feet tall, and I wasn't laughing.

"Any more tricks, demigod?" Ma Gasket demanded.

I glanced up. The engine block suspended on the chain—if only I'd had time to rig it. If only I could get Ma Gasket to take one step forward. The chain itself… that one link… I shouldn't have been able to see it, especially from so far down, but my senses told me there was metal fatigues. I guess it was a Hephaestus thing.

That gave me an idea. The only downside: it would reveal my powers to my friends—well, actually to Piper since Jason was unconscious, but I'm sure he'll find out once he wakes up.

"Heck, yeah, I got tricks!" I put away my remote and summoned my three-pound hammer, and raised it to her. "I'm going to beat you down."

Ma Gasket laughed. "I love to see that happen! That hammer won't be enough against me!"

She scooped red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them at me. They landed at my feet.

"My brother told me you Cyclops are immune to fire, but he didn't say you had horrible aim!" I put up a fake laugh.

Ma Gasket grinned picked up a barrel next to the truck. I read the stenciled word on the side—kerosene. I inwardly smirked while putting up my best shock and scared face as Ma Gasket threw it. The barrel split on the floor in front of him, spilling lighter fluid everywhere.

Coals sparked as Piper screamed, "No!"

A fire storm erupted around me, and I was bathed in flames swirling twenty feet in the air, but other than that I was fine.

Ma Gasket must of not saw that I was okay while I was bathed in flames, because she was laughing until the Kerosene burned off, died down to a small fiery patches on the floor.

Piper gasped. "Leo?"

Ma Gasket looked astonished. "You live?" Then she took the step forward I wanted. "What are you?"

"The son of Hephaestus," I said, "And you're toast."

I pointed one finger in the air and summoned all my will. I never tried to do anything so focus and intense—but I shot a bolt of white hot flames at the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops' head—aiming for the link that looked weaker than the rest.

The flames died. At first nothing happened. I fell to my feet in exhaustion. I never tried to summon such intense fire before, and it left me completely drained. Ma Gasket laughed. "An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It's been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You'll make a spicy appetizer!"

Finally, the chain snapped due to that single link being heated beyond its tolerance point—and the engine block fell, deadly and silent.

 _Smash!_ Ma Gasket didn't have time to look up before she became a pile of dust under a five-ton engine block.

It took me a while to realize that Piper was still calling my name: "Leo! Are you alright? Can you move?"

It took me a long time to get back to my feet, and let Piper down first so we can work together to lower Jason. Despite everything that happened, the guy was still unconscious. I guess if I got hit in the head as hard as Jason did and got the size welt he had, I would still be unconscious as well.

Piper managed to trickle a little nectar into his mouth, and he groaned. The welt on his head started to shrink. His color came back a little.

"Yeah, he's got a nice thick skull," I joked. "I think he's gonna be fine."

"Thank god," Piper sighed. Then she looked at me with what looked like f ear. "How did you—the fire—have you always…?"

I looked down. "Always," I replied, "Sorry, I should've told you guys sooner but—"

"Sorry?" Piper punched me in the arm causing me to look up and saw she was grinning. "That was amazing, Valdez! You saved our lives. What are you sorry about?"

I blinked as a sense of relief washed over me. I started to smile until I noticed something next to Piper's foot.

The yellow dust from the Cyclopes was shifting across the floor like an invisible wind was pushing it back together.

"They're forming again," I said. "Look."

Piper stepped away from the dust. "That's not possible. I was told monsters dissipate when they're killed and go back to Tartarus where they can't return for a long time."

"Apparently the Cyclops didn't get the message." I watch in horror as the dust collected into a pile, then very slowly spread out, forming shape with arms and legs.

Piper turned pale. "Boreas said something about this—the earth yielding up horrors. 'When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades.'"

"We better get out of here," I said.

We picked up Jason and hauled him to Festus as I prayed that I can get Festus back in working condition before those Cyclopes fully form and come for their revenge.


	25. Jason's POV Part IX

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part IX**

I had a dream that I was wrapped in chains, hanging upside down like a hunk of meat. Everything hurt—my arms, my chest, my head. Especially my head. It felt like an over inflated water balloon.

"If I'm dead," I murmured, "why does it hurt so much?"

"You're not dead, my hero," said a woman's voice. "It is not your time. Come, speak with me."

My thoughts floated away from my body. I heard monsters yelling, my friends screaming, fiery explosions, but it all seemed to be happening on another plane of existence—getting farther and farther away.

I found myself standing in an earthen cage. Tendrils of tree roots and stone whirled together, confining me. Outside the bars, I could see the floor of a dry reflecting pool, another earthen spire growing at the far end, and above us, the ruined red stones of a burned-out house.

Next to me in the cage, a woman sat cross-legged in black robes, her head covered by a shroud. She pushed aside her veil, revealing a face that was proud and beautiful—but also hardened with suffering.

"Hera," I said.

"Welcome to my prison," said the goddess. "You will not die today, Jason. Your friends will see you through—for now."

"For now?" I asked.

Hera gestured at the tendrils of her cage. "There are worse trials to come. The very earth stirs against us."

"You're a goddess," Jason said. "Why can't you just escape?"

Hera smiled sadly. Her form began to glow, until her brilliance filled the cage with painful light. The air hummed with power, molecules splitting apart like a nuclear explosion. I suspected if I were actually there in flesh, I would've been vaporized just by looking at it.

The cage should've been blasted to rubble. The ground should've split and the ruined house should've been leveled. But when the glow died, the cage hadn't budged. Nothing outside the bars had changed. Only Hera looked different—a little more stooped and tired.

"Some powers are even greater than the gods," she said. "I am not easily contained. I can be in many places at once. But when the greater part of my essence is caught, it is like a foot in a bear trap, you might way. I can't escape, and I am concealed from the eyes of the other gods. Only you can find me, and I grow weaker by the day."

"Then why did you come here?" I asked. "How were you caught?"

The goddess sighed. "I could not stay idle. Your father, Jupiter, believe he can withdraw from the world, and thus lull our enemies back to sleep. He believes we Olympians, have become too involved in affairs of mortals, in the fates of our demigod children, especially since we agreed to claim them all after the war. He believes this is what has caused our enemies to stir. That is why he closed Olympus."

"But you don't agree."

"No and I'm not the only one as you'll find out later on," she said. "Often I do not understand my husband's moods or his decisions, but even for Zeus, this seemed paranoid. I cannot fathom why he was so insistent and so convinced. It was… unlike him. As Hera, I might have been content to follow my lord's wishes. But I am also Juno." Her image flickered, and I saw armor under her simple black robes, a goatskin cloak—the symbol of a Roman warrior—across her bronze mantle. "Juno Moneta they once called me—Juno, the One Who Warns. I was the guardian of the state, patron of Eternal Rome. I could not sit by while the descendants of my people were attacked. I sensed danger at this sacred spot. A voice—" She hesitated. "A voice told me I should come here. Gods do not have what you might call a conscience, nor do we have dreams; but the voice was like that—soft and persistent, warning me to come here. And so the same day Zeus closed Olympus, I slipped away without telling him my plans, so he could not stop me. And I came here to investigate."

"It was a trap," I guessed.

The goddess nodded. "Only too late did I realized how quickly the earth was stirring. I was even more foolish than Jupiter—a slave to my own impulses. This is exactly how it happened the first time. I was taken captive by the giants, and my imprisonment started a war. Now our enemies rise again. The gods can only defeat them with the help of the greatest living heroes. And one whom the giants serve… _she_ cannot be defeated at all—only kept asleep."

"I don't understand."

"You will soon," Hera said.

The cage began to constrict, the tendrils spiraling tighter. Hera's form shriveled like a candle flame in the breeze. Outside the cage, I could see gathering at the edge of the pool—lumbering humanoids with hunched backs and bald heads. Unless my eyes were tricking me, they had more than one set of arms. I also heard wolves too, but not the wolves I'd seen with Lupa. I could tell from their howls this was a different pack—hungrier, and more aggressive, out for blood.

"Hurry, Jason," Hera said. "My keepers approach, and you begin to wake. I will not be strong enough to appear to you again, even in dreams."

"Wait," I responded. "Boreas told us you'd made a dangerous gamble. What did he mean?"

Hera's eyes looked crazy, which made me wonder if she really _had_ done something crazy.

"An exchange," she said. "The only way to bring peace. The enemy counts on our divisions, and if we are divided, we _will_ be destroyed. You are my peace offering, Jason—a bridge to overcome millennia of hatred."

"What? I don't—"

"I cannot tell you more," Hera said. "You have lived this long because I have taken your memory. Find this place. Return to your starting point. Your sister will help."

"Thalia?" I asked.

The scene began to dissolved. "Good-bye, Jason. Beware Chicago. Your most dangerous mortal enemy waits there. If you die, it will be by her hand. If not, seek out the signs of daughter of Hades that will lead you to your sister."

For some reason I got a strange feeling that I should know a daughter of Hades, but for some reason it came to my mind as daughter of Pluto, yet at the I got the feeling Hera is not talking about it. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

But Hera's image faded, and I woke up.

…

My eyes snapped open. "Cyclops!"

"Whoa, sleepyhead." Piper sat behind me on the bronze dragon, holding my waist to keep me balanced. Leo sat in front, driving. We flew peacefully through the winter sky as if nothing had happened.

"D-Detroit," I stammered. "Didn't we crash-land? I thought—"

"It's okay," Leo said, "We got away, but you got a nasty concussion. How you feeling?"

My head throbbed. I remembered the factory, then walking down the catwalk, then a creature looming over me—a face with one eye, a massive fist—and everything went black.

"How did you—the Cyclops—"

"Leo ripped them apart," Piper said. "He was amazing. He can summon fire—"

"It was nothing," Leo said quickly.

Piper laughed. "Shut up, Valdez. I'm going to tell him. Get over it."

And she did—how Leo single-handedly defeated the Cyclopes family; how they freed Jason, they noticed the Cyclopes starting to re-form; how Leo had replaced the dragon's wiring and gotten them back in the air just as they'd started to hear the Cyclopes roaring for vengeance inside the factory.

I was impressed. Taking out three Cyclopes with nothing but a tool kit, and the fact Leo had fire power was impressive. Not to mention that Myrmekes gunk—or whatever it was called—it seemed resourceful, and it explained why Leo smelled like rotting carcasses. But I felt horrible of the fact that I stepped right into an ambush and spent the whole fight knocked out while my friends fend for themselves. What kind of quest leader was I?

When Piper told me about the other kid the Cyclopes claimed to have eaten, the one in the purple shirt who spoke Latin. I felt like my head was going to explode. A son of Mercury… I felt like I should know that kid, but the name was missing from my head.

"I'm not alone, then," I said. "There are others like me."

"Jason," Piper said, "you were never alone. You've got us."

"I—I know… but something Hera said. I was having a dream…"

I told them what I'd seen inside her cage.

"The daughter of Hades—that might be Bianca," Piper said, "Annabeth told me about her. She joined the Hunters along with your sister."

I frowned. Bianca—could that be the name of the person I was thinking about? It doesn't seem right, but how many children of Hades are there?

"So we find this Bianca chick and she leads us to your sister," Leo said, "Any idea where they are?"

I shook my head. "Hera only told me to look for the signs of Bianca. But that's not what bothers me. It's the fact Hera gamble in this _exchange_ is _me_. Just by sending me to Camp Half-Blood, I have a feeling she broke some kind of rule, something that could blow up in a big way."

"Or save us," Piper said hopefully. "That bit about the sleeping enemy—that sounds like the lady Leo told us about."

Leo cleared his throat. "About that… she kind of appeared to me back in Detroit, in a pool of Porta-Potty sludge."

I wasn't sure if I heard that right. "Did you say… Porta-Party?"

Leo told us about the big face in the factory yard. "I don't know if she's completely unkillable," he said, "but she cannot be defeated by toilet seats. I can vouch for that. She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, 'Pffft, right, I'm gonna listen to a face in the potty sludge.'"

"She's trying to divide us." Piper slipped her arms from around my waist. I could sense her tension without even looking at her.

"What's wrong?"

"I just… Why are they toying with us? Who is this lady, and how is she connected to Enceladus?"

"Enceladus?"

"I mean…" Piper's voice quavered. "That's one of the giants. Just one of the names I could remember."

I got the feeling there was a lot more bothering her, but I decided not to press her. She had a rough morning.

Leo scratched his head. "Well, I dunno about Enchiladas—"

"Enceladus," Piper corrected.

"Whatever. But Old Potty Face mentioned another name. Porpoise Fear, or something?"

"Porphyrion?" Piper asked. "He was the giant king, I think."

I envisioned that dark spire in the old reflecting pool—growing larger as Hera got weaker. "I'm going to take a wild guess," I said. "In the old stories, Porphyrion kidnapped Hera. That was the first shot in the war between the giants and the gods."

"I think so," Piper agreed. "But those myths are really garbled and conflict. It was like nobody wanted that story to survive. I just remember there was a war, and the giants were almost impossible to kill."

"Heroes and gods had to work together," I said. "That's what Hera told me."

"Kind of hard to do," Leo grumbled. "if the gods won't even talk to us."

We flew west, and I became lost in my thoughts—all of them bad. I wasn't sure how much time passed before the dragon dove through a break in the clouds, and below us, glittering in the winter sun, was a city at the edge of a massive lake. A crescent of skyscrapers lined the shore. Behind us, stretching out to the western horizon, was a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.

"Chicago," I said.

I thought about what Hera had said in my dream. My worst mortal enemy would be waiting here. If I was going to die, it would be by her hand.

"One problem down," Leo said. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?"

I saw a flash of movement below them. At first I thought it was a small plane, but it was too small, too dark and fast. The thing spiraled toward the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape—and, just a moment it became a smoky figure of a horse.

"How about we follow that one," I suggested. "And see where it goes?"


	26. Jason's POV Part X

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part X**

At first I was worried about who the mortal enemy Hera was talking was, but now I'm worried we would lose our target. The _ventus_ moved like the wind and Leo insisted on not getting any closer to it unless we want it to spot us.

When the spirit dove into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was way too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up.

"Get above the buildings," I suggested. "We'll track him from there."

"You want to drive this thing?" Leo grumbled, but he did as he was told.

After a few minutes, I spotted the storm spirit again, zipping through the streets with no apparent purpose—blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerved.

"Oh great," Piper said. "There're two."

She was right. A second _ventus_ blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down toward the street.

"Those guys do _not_ need any more caffeine," Leo said.

I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Piper said. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."

"More than a couple," I said. "Look."

The dragon circled over a wide avenue next to a lake-side park. Storm spirits were converging—at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.

"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked. "I wanna throw something at him."

I wasn't focus on finding Dylan, but rather the art installation. The closer we got to it, the faster my heart beat. It was just a public fountain, but it was unpleasantly familiar. Two five-story monoliths rose from either end of a long granite reflecting pool. The monoliths seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool.

It looked like a high-tech, super-size version of that ruined reflecting pool I seen in my dreams, with those two dark masses jutting either end. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but then the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with her eyes closed.

"Leo…" I said nervously.

"I see her," Leo said. "I don't like her, but I see her."

Then the screens went dark. The _venti_ swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.

"Did they just go down a drain?" Piper asked. "How are we supposed to follow them.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"

I felt the same way, but we had to follow. We had no leads on this daughter of Hades that's supposed to lead us to my sister, so right now those _venti_ were our best chance to finding Hera.

"Put us down in that park," I suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."

…

Festus landed in an open area between the lake and the skyline. The signs said Grant Park, and I imagined it might have been a nice place during the summer; but it was a field of ice, snow, and salted walkways. The dragon's hot metal feet hissed when we landed. Festus flapped his wings unhappily and shot fire into the sky, but there was no one around to notice. The wind was coming off the lake bitter cold. Anyone with sense would be inside. My eyes stung so badly, I could barely see.

We dismounted, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet. One of his eyes flickered, so it looked like he was blinking. It lasted until Leo pulled out a rubber mallet from his tool bag, and whacked the dragon's bad eye, causing the light to go back to normal.

"Festus can't hang around here in the middle of the park," Leo said, "It's too risky. Maybe if I had a dog whistle…"

He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.

"Too specialize?" he guessed. "Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops."

This time, Leo pulled out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen." Leo blew the whistle. A shrill sound probably rolled all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly where you want. Just try not barbecue any pedestrians."

The dragon snorted, hopefully in agreement. Then he spread his wings and launched into the air.

Piper took one step and winced. "Ah!"

"Your ankle?" I forgotten about her injury back in the Cyclops factory, which I felt bad for. "That ambrosia we gave you might be wearing off."

"It's fine." She shivered, and I remembered to get her a new snowboarding coat. I hoped I live long enough to find her one. She took a few more steps with only a slight limp, but I could tell she was trying not to grimace.

"Let's get out of the wind," I suggested.

"Down a drain," Piper shuddered. "Sounds cozy."

We wrapped ourselves up as best as we could and headed toward the fountain.

…

According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze. It didn't seem right to me that the fountain would have water in it in the winter anyway. Then again, nothing about this place seemed right, especially after how the big monitors flashed the face of our mysterious enemy Dirt Woman.

We stopped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop us. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

I climbed down first, bracing myself for the horrible smells. As it turned out, it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

Leo was next to come down, then Piper where we both helped her despite her protesting.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.

"No," Leo said. "Trust me."

I frowned at him. "How do you know—"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

I tilted my head, listening to the air that was blowing down here, before pointing south. "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"There's a draft blowing south," I said. "Maybe the _venti_ went with the flow."

It wasn't much of a lead, but Piper and Leo didn't have anything better.

Unfortunately, as soon as we started walking, Piper stumbled and I had to catch her.

"Stupid ankle," she cursed.

"Let's rest," I decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a dy. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!"

Piper and I sat on a bridge ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack.

I'm glad we're able to rest. I was still tired and dizzy, and hungry too. But mostly, I wasn't eager to face whatever lay ahead. I turned my gold coin in my fingers.

 _If you are to die,_ Hera had warned, _it will be by her hand._

Whoever "her" was. After Khione, the Cyclops mother, and the weird sleeping lady, the last thing I want was another psycho villainess in my life.

"It wasn't your fault," Piper said.

I looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Getting jumped by the Cyclopes," she said. "It wasn't your fault."

I looked down at the coin my coin. "I was stupid. I left you alone and walked into a trap. I should've known…"

I didn't finish. There were too many things I should have known—who I was, how to fight monsters, how Cyclopes lured their victims by mimicking voices and hiding in shadows and a hundred other tricks. I'm supposed to know all those information—like they're supposed to be in my head. I could feel the places it should be—like empty pockets. If Hera wanted me to succeed, why she stolen the memories that could help me survive? She claimed my amnesia had kept me alive, but that made no sense. I'm starting to understand why Annabeth had wanted to leave the goddess in her cage.

"Hey," Piper nudged my arm. "Cut yourself some slack. Just because you're the son of Zeus doesn't mean you're a one-man army.

A few feet away, Leo lit a small cooking fire. He hummed as he pulled supplies out of his pack and his tool belt.

In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. I had been studying them for days now, and I still couldn't decide what color they were.

"I know this must suck for you," I said. "Not just the quest, I mean. The way I appeared on the bus, the Mist messing with your mind, and making you think I was… you know."

She dropped her gaze. "Don't worry about it. Silena gave me some useful advice about it after I found out."

I wanted to ask her what she meant and what kind of advice, but decided against it.

Piper tugged at the little braids on each side of her head. Again, I thought how glad I was that she had lost the Aphrodite's blessing. With the makeup and the dress and the perfect hair, she'd looked about twenty-five, glamorous, and completely out of my league. I never thought that beauty was a form of power, but the way Piper had seemed— _powerful_.

I liked regular Piper better—someone I could hang out with. But the weird thing was, I couldn't quite get that other image out of my head. It hadn't been an illusion. That side of Piper was there too. She just did her best to hide it.

Over at the fire Leo stirred some sizzling bell pepper and meat in a pan. "Yeah, baby! Almost there!"

"You still don't think Thalia replaced you, do you?" Piper asked.

I remembered our conversation at the factory. "No. You were right. Thalia might have not replaced me," I said. "It merely just grew during my absence. I just wish I know what happened exactly."

"We'll figure it out," Piper said. Then she took a shaky breath. "Jason, there's something I should tell you."

She didn't get the chance as Leo announced, "And bingo."

He came over with three plates stacked on his arms like a waiter. I had no idea where he'd gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looked amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.

"Leo," Piper said in amazement. "How did you—?"

"Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"

…

I wasn't sure about tofu, but the tacos tasted as good as they smelled. While we ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. I was grateful Leo was with us. It made being with Piper a little less intense and uncomfortable. At the same time, I wished I _was_ alone her; but I chided myself for feeling that way. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of advice Silena gave Piper that helped her feel better about the Mist being used on her memories.

After Piper ate, I encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up and put her head in my lap. In two seconds she was snoring.

I looked up at Leo, who was obviously trying not to laugh.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking the lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.

"Good, huh?" Leo grinned.

"You should start a stand," I said. "Make some serious coins."

"Maybe," Leo said.

I stared at the embers of the fire. "So… I take it your fire powers are true?"

Leo's smile faltered. "Yeah, well…" He opened his hand. A ball of fire burst to life, dancing across his palm.

"That is cool," I admitted. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Leo closed his hand and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."

"I have lightning and wind powers," I reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. You're no more a freak than we are."

"Yeah well, not everyone in Hephaestus Cabin sees fire powers as cool," Leo said. "According to Beckendorf said fire powers are super rare."

"Does Beckendorf know?" I asked.

Leo nodded. "He found out after I used my powers to unlock a hidden bunker," he explained, "And maybe when Festus blew fire at me the first time I saw him."

"Seriously?" I asked.

Leo nodded.

"Well, maybe fire power doesn't have to be a bad thing," I said. "Obviously Beckendorf didn't see it as a bad thing."

Leo cleared away the plates. "Maybe. But I'm telling you… Fire powers aren't always a gift."

I fell silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you? The night she died."

Leo didn't answer. He didn't have to. The fact that he was quiet, not joking around—that told me enough.

"Leo, her death wasn't your fault. Whatever happened that night—it wasn't because you could summon fire. This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up your confidence, take away everything you care about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."

"That's what she said." Leo looked up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important—something that would make or break that big prophecy about the seven demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up to it."

"Well, we're meant to be the seven greatest demigods of our generation right," I said. "Maybe it won't turn out as bad as it sounds."

Leo nodded, but I doubt he believed me. I doubt I believe my words either. I mean, most demigods don't end up okay. Some ended up worse off than others.

Leo poked at the remnants of his fire, turning over red-hot coals with his bare hand. "You ever wonder about the other four demigods? I mean… if we're three of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?"

I though about it, all right, but I tried to push it out of my mind. I had a horrible suspicion _I_ would be expected to lead those other demigods, and I was afraid I would fail.

 _You'll tear each other apart_ , Boreas had promised.

I was trained to not show fear. I was sure of that from my dream with the wolves. I was supposed to act confident, even if I didn't feel it. But Leo and Piper were depending on me, and I was terrified of failing them. If I had to lead a group of six—six who might not get along—that would be even worse.

Then my mind went to that seven year old boy in the photo with Thalia: Percy Jackson. I know for sure he was one of the seven now. I couldn't help but shake this feeling he has part in getting the seven of us together. It can't be a coincidence that he disappeared days before I appeared on the school bus and Hera wouldn't have send Annabeth to get us, making her think she could find clues on her boyfriend, if the two of us are connected.

"Well, there is one we know that is part of the prophecy," I said. "Annabeth's missing boyfriend. Maybe he's out there looking for the other three."

"Yeah, maybe," Leo grunted.

The draft picked up, blowing toward the south end of the tunnel.

"Get some rest, Leo," I said. "I'll take first watching.

…

It was hard to measure time, but I figured my friends slept about four hours. I didn't mind. Now that I was resting, I didn't feel the need for more sleep. I been conked out long enough on the dragon. Plus, I needed the time to think about the quest, my sister Thalia, and Hera's warning. I also didn't mind Piper using me for a pillow. She had a cute way of breathing when she slept—inhaling through the nose, exhaling with a little puff through the mouth. I was almost disappointed when she woke up.

Finally, we broke camp and started down the tunnel.

It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. I wasn't sure what to expect at the end—a dungeon, a mad scientist lab, or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta Potty sludge end up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the world.

Instead, we found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter _M_. Next to the elevator was a directory, like a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

 **Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level  
Furnishing and Café M: 1  
Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2  
Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3  
Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4**

"Kennels for what?" Piper said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons," Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top.'

…

The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. I was the first to stepped out with my sword out and ready.

"Guys," I said. "You've got to see this."

Piper joined me and caught her breath. "This is _not_ Macy's."

The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in thousand different colors. The upper floor made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so we could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.

Aside from the stained glass ceiling and the elevator, I couldn't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between levels. The carpeting was a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take in at once, but I did see normal stull like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed with armored manikins, bed of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving.

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage—like an oversize canary cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club."

"Coach Hedge!" Piper said. "We've got to get down there."

A voice said, "May I help you find something?"

All three of us jumped back.

A woman had just _appeared_ in front of us. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model—maybe fifty years old, though it was hard for me to tell. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.

She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

Leo glanced at me like, _All yours_.

"Um," I started to say, "is this your store?"

The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good… how do you say… first acquisition in this country."

She spoke with a pleasing accent, but I couldn't guess where from. Her voice sounded rich and exotic—making me want to relax and hear more.

"So you're new to America?" I asked.

"I am… new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"

I heard of rich foreigners buying American department stores. Of course most of the time they didn't sell poisons, living fur coats, storm spirits, or satyrs, but still—with a nice voice like that, the Princess of Colchis couldn't be all bad.

Piper poked me in the ribs. "Jason…"

"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness…" I pointed at the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we… have him back, please?"

"Of course!" the princes agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names.

I hesitated at first. It seemed like a bad idea for us to give her our names, especially after Hera's warning.

On the other hand, Her Highness was on the verge of cooperating. If we could get what we wanted without a fight, that would be better. Besides, this lady didn't seem like an enemy.

Piper started to say, "Jason, I wouldn't—"

"This is Piper," I introduced, "This is Leo. I'm Jason."

The princess fixed her eyes on me and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, I could see her skull beneath her skin. My mind was getting blurrier, but I knew something didn't seem right. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."


	27. Piper's POV Part IX

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part IX**

I decided I only had two decisions at this point—one: run for the elevator and get out of here, or two: attack the weird princess now, because I was sure a fight was coming.

The way the lady's face glowed when she heard Jason's name had been bad enough. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo both didn't seem to think of anything about it.

The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"

"Cool," Jason said.

"Guys," I interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this— _princess_ —is really our friend—"

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's cold and dark. "Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper?"

Piper did her best to stare daggers at him: _No, it is not okay!_

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them toward the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

I didn't have much choice except to follow.

I hated department stores—mostly because she'd gotten caught stealing from several of them. Well, not exactly _caught_ , and not exactly _stealing_. I would talked the salesmen into giving me computers, new boots, a gold ring, once even a lawn mower. Though I had no idea why I wanted one. I never kept the stuff. I just did it go get my dad's attention. Usually I talked my neighborhood UPS guy into taking the stuff back. But of course the salesmen I duped always came to their senses and called the police, who eventually tracked me down.

Anyway, I wasn't thrilled to be back in a department store—especially one run by a crazy princess who glowed in the dark.

"And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks—some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells—ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.

The princess pointed to a bloodred vial—a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial"—she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside—"will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," Jason said. His voice sounded dazed and sleepy.

"Jason," I said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?" I tried to put power into my words, to snap him out of his trance with charm speak, but even my voice sounded shaky. This princess scared me too much, and made my confidence crumbled.

"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

The princess beamed at him. Then we have potions for resisting fire—"

"Got that covered," Leo said.

"Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen… no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or—"

"Wait," I said while still staring at the red vial as a new thought occurred to me. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but if that vial could cure Jason's memory.

But should I do this? Hera had taken away his memories for a reason. She'd told him it was the only way he'd survive at Camp Half-Blood. What if Jason finds out if he was our enemy? Or what if he remembers that he had a girlfriends wherever he came from.

It doesn't matter, I decided, which kind of surprised even me.

Jason always looked so anguished when he tried to remember things. I hated seeing him that way. I wanted to help him because I cared about him, even if that meant losing him. And maybe it would make this trip through Her Craziness' department store worthwhile.

"How much?" I asked.

The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. "Well, now… The price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me." Her gaze drifted to Jason. "Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."

"From your own dad?" Jason still looked half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.

"Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong…" She looked at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."

I had to try and control my emotions, but I probably blushed. I got the creepiest feeling the princess could read my thoughts.

I also found the princess' story disturbingly familiar. Pieces of old myths I read with my dad started coming together: Princess of Colchis, a treasure her father had, and Jason—the ones that the Boreads were talking about who led the Argonauts; but this woman couldn't be the one I was thinking about.

At any rate," Her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."

"Cheated?" Jason frowned, as if trying to remember something important.

"That's messed up," Leo said.

Her Highness patted his cheek affectionately. "I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seemed honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"

Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."

Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness—how much?"

The princess assessed my clothes, my face, my posture, as if putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.

"Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asked. "I sensed that you would."

The words washed over me as powerfully as a good surfing wave. The force of the suggestion nearly lifted me off my feet. I wanted to pay any price. I wanted to say yes.

Then my stomach twisted. I quickly realized I was being charmspoken. I sensed it back at the Skywalk when Silena tried to calm Annabeth down. But this was even more powerful, like the princess had a ton more experience than Silena. No wonder my friends were dazed. Was _this_ what people felt when I used charmspeak? A feeling of guilt settled over me.

I shook it off quickly. This time is different. I'm trying to save my friends.

I summoned all my willpower. "No, I won't pay _any_ price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"

Just for a moment, my words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused.

"Leave?" Jason said.

"You mean… after shopping?" Leo asked.

I wanted to scream, but the princess tilted her head, examining Piper with newfound respect.

"Impressive," the princess said. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes—I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"

"But the vial—"

"Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo. Her voice was so much more powerful than mine, so full of confidence, I didn't stand a chance. "Would you like to see more?"

"Sure," Jason said.

"Okay," Leo said.

"Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."

My hand moved to my dagger. I thought about my dream of the mountaintop—the scene Enceladus had shown me, a place I knew, where I was supposed to betray my friends in two days.

"The Bay Area?" I asked. "Why the Bay Area?"

The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?"

I didn't like it one bit and decided we need to leave. But before I could argue, the princess led Jason and Leo to the escalator. I took one look at the vial. I never actually stole before, but I didn't want to take any risk.

I snatch the vial and stuffed it in my pocket before quickly going after my friends.


	28. Piper's POV Part X

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part X**

I cornered the princes as Jason and Leo went to check out the living fur coats.

"You want them shopping to their deaths?" I demanded.

"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, my dear. I know your little secret and your little stunt."

I had a shiver down my back when she said that.

"But we don't want to dwell on that, do we? The boys are having such fun," the princess said.

Leo laughed as he tried on a hat that seemed to be made from enchanted raccoon fur. Its ringed tail twitched, and its little legs wiggled frantically as Leo walked. Jason was ogling the men's sportswear. If you need proof that these two were under an evil sign, this would be it.

I glared at the princess. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."

"Where's Colchis?"

The princess' expression turned a little sad. "Where _was_ Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days. But Colchis is no more—lost eons ago."

"Eons?" I asked. I know, it's hard to believe. I have a hard time believing it myself. The princess looked no more than fifty. And yet a bad feeling settled in me as I remember what King Boreas told us back in Quebec. "How old are you?"

The princess laughed at my question. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter your country took quite a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible." The princess swept her hand around the department store.

My mouth tasted like metal. "Your patron…"

"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone though, mind you—only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insisted on so little—a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."

 _Run_ , I thought. _We have to get out of here._

But before I could turn my thoughts into words, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"

From a rack labeled distressed clothing, he held up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip—except this one looked like it been clawed by tigers.

Jason frowned. "Why does this look so familiar?"

"Jason, it's like _yours_ ," I responded. "Now we really have to leave." But I'm starting to doubt he was listening because of the princess' enchantment over him."

"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys aren't done, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular—trade-ins from previous customers. It suits you."

Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with a hole through the middle, as if it had been hit by a javelin. Next to that was a tented bronze breastplate that looked like it was badly damage. There were also Roman togas slashed to pieces and stained with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood.

"Your Highness," I said while trying to control my nerves, "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."

My words didn't have any effect on the princess, but Jason and Leo were suddenly interested as they turned away from the racks.

"More story?" Leo asked.

"I like more story!" Jason agreed.

The princess flashed an irritated look at me. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn't for her—but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?"

The princess tone made her meaning clear to me: _I_ can _take it out on you._

"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," I remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."

The look in the princess' eyes made me want to apologize, but I didn't back down. I couldn't. If Jason and Leo realize who she really is, they might snap out of it. Or at least her spell will weaken enough for me to convince them.

"At first," Her Highness admitted, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he _still_ needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warship overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."

"And you killed your own brother," I said as the horrible story started coming back to me, along with the name that started with the letter _M_.

"What?" Jason stirred. For a moment he looked almost like himself. "Killed your own—"

"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end."

Jason still looked uncomfortable as my plan seemed to be working. "What did he do?"

The princess held the sliced toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him."

"Jason," I said. "The _original_ Jason. But then you're—you should be dead!"

The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes.

Thus my plan fails. I could feel the sorcery washing over my friends, taking final control more firmly than ever.

"Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"

"Oh, sure," Jason said.

"Okay," Leo said.

"Guys!" I grinded my teeth in frustration. "Don't you see who she is? Don't you—"

"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily. "I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits—and your satyr."

Right now I wanted nothing more than send her back to the Underworld where she belongs. Out all the princesses in the Greek why did it have to be _her_?

…

Of course Leo got distracted when we reached appliances on the second floor.

"No way," he said. "Is that an armored forge?"

Before I could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a big oven that looked like a barbecue on steroids.

When we caught up with him, the princess said, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."

Jason flinched as if he recognized that term. "Imperial gold?"

The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade…" she smiled pleasantly. "Rome was _after_ my time, of course, but I do hear stories. Now over here—this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped.

Leo must of took this as an order, because he started walking toward it in his trance.

"Leo, don't!" I warned.

He blinked. "How much for both?"

"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength—" She led Leo into an appliance section giving him prices on various items.

I didn't want to leave him alone with her, but I need to try to reason with Jason. I pulled him aside and slapped him across the face.

"Ow," he muttered sleepily. "What was that for?"

"Snap out of it!" I hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"She's charmspeaking you. Can you feel it?"

He knit his eyebrows. "She seems okay."

"She's not okay! She shouldn't even be alive! She was married to the _other_ Jason three thousand years ago. Remember what Boreas said—something about the souls no longer being confined to Hades? It's not just monsters who can't stay dead. She's come back from the Underworld!"

Jason shook his head uneasily. "She's not a ghost."

"No, she's worse! She's—"

"Children." The princess was back with Leo in tow. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes? With that potion?"

I wanted to scream. At this point I was tempted to pull out my dagger and take out this witch, but I knew my chances and they weren't great. Especially with my friends being under her spell. There's no telling if they would even help me or will kill me if she ordered them too. I had to figure out a better plan.

We took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. For the first time, I noticed two large bronze sundials—each about the size of a trampoline—inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain. The gilded oversize canary cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits. They were so densely packed, spinning around like a super-concentrated tornado, that I couldn't tell how many there were—dozens, at least.

"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks okay!"

We ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment he was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon. He was frozen mid-shout, his club raised over his head like he was ordering the gym class to drop and give him fifty. His curly hair stuck up at odd angles. If I just concentrated on certain details—the bright orange polo shirt, the wispy goatee, the whistle around his neck—I could imagine Coach Hedge as his good old annoying self. But it was hard to ignore the stubby horns on his head, and the fact that he had furry goat legs and hooves instead of workout pants and Nikes.

"Yes," the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits, the satyr. A package deal with the potion free of cost. That's if we come to terms, and you can go in peace." She gave me a shrewd look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"

 _Don't trust her,_ warned a voice in my head. If I was right about this lady's identity, nobody would be leaving in peace. A fair deal wasn't possible. It was all a trick. But my friends were looking at me, nodding urgently while mouthing, _Say, yes!_ I need more time than this to think of a good plan.

"We can negotiate," she said.

"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price."

"Leo!" Piper snapped.

The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy, but at least you know a thing's value. Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would ask me to release this satyr, who attacked my storm winds—"

"Who attacked us," I interjected.

Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you—that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal. And no harm done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free will! At any rate, you want the satyr free, and you want my storm spirits—who are very valuable servants, by the way—so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price be high."

I could see that my friends were ready to offer anything, promise anything. But before they could speak, I played my last desperate card.

"You're Medea," I said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo—don't trust her."

I put all the intensity I could gather into those words. I was utterly sincere, and it seemed to have some effect. Jason stepped away from the sorceress.

Leo on other hand scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream.

So close.

"Boys!" The princess spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. Her diamond jewelry glittered, and her painted fingers curled like blood-tipped claws. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, my dear, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands. But _I_ was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis."

Jason—my Jason—scowled. "Then… you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?"

"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again."

"You… re-formed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"

Medea spread her fingers and steam hissed from her nails, like water splashed on hot iron. "You have no idea what's happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. _I_ am mortal. I learned from my mistakes. And now I have to returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now, here is my prices for what you ask."

"Guys," I said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty."

"Lies!" Medea said.

"On the way back from Colchis, Jason's ship landed at another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king's daughter."

"After bore him two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?"

Jason and Leo dutifully shook their heads. Even I have to agree that wasn't right, but I still know have more to share.

"It may not have been right," I said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."

Medea snarled. "An invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth—that unruly mob—killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I sneaked back into the palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair—a suitable price."

"You're insane," I said.

"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"

The fountain turned bright red. I drew my dagger, but my hand was shaking almost too badly to hold it. "Jason, Leo—it's time to go. _Now_."

"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out fully formed—stronger and more powerful than ever."

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"Leo, she's lying," I said. "She did that trick with somebody before—a king, I think. She convinced his daughters to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young an healthy, but it just killed him!"

"Ridiculous," Medea said, and I could hear the power charged in every syllable. "Leo, Jason—my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You _do_ want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"

"Guys, no!" I said. But it was already too late. I lost them to Medea, again. They were glaring at each other as if it was dawning on them how they really felt.

I couldn't help but feel helpless. I now understood what real sorcery looked like. I'd always thought magic meant wands and fireballs, but this was worse. Medea didn't rely on poisons and potions. Her most potent weapon was her voice.

Leo scowled. "Jason's always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted.

"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said. "You never take anything seriously. You can even fix a dragon on your own."

"Stop!" I pleaded, but both drew their weapons—Jason had his gold sword, and Leo had his hammer (which he pulled out from his tool belt).

"Let them go, Piper," Medea urged. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!"

Medea's charmspeak didn't work on me, but the sorceress still had a persuasive voice.

 _My father back today?_ Despite my best intentions, I wanted that. I wanted my father back so much, it hurt.

"You work for Enceladus?" I asked.

Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause—a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free."

Leo and Jason were still facing off, ready to fight, but they looked unsteady and confused—waiting for another order. Part of them had to be resisting, I hoped. This went completely against their nature.

"Listen to me, girl." Medea plucked a diamond off her bracelet and threw it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicolored light, Medea said, "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."

The mist shimmered and I saw my father's study. Sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone as usual, was my dad's assistant, Jane, in her dark business suit, her hair swirled in a tight bun.

"Hello, Jane," Medea said.

Jane hung the phone calmly, which twisted my stomach because I know she doesn't do for just anyone. "How can I help you, ma'am?" Hello, Piper."

"You—" I was so angry I could hardly talk.

"Yes, child," Medea said. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jane said.

"Don't mention it," Medea said. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police—well done! No one seems to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line—that was a nice touch to get his cooperation."

"Yes," Jane agreed in a bland tone, as if she were sleep walking. "He was quite cooperative when he believe Piper was in danger."

I look down at my trembling hand holding my dagger. There was no way I could use this weapon, especially not any better than Helen of Troy did, but it was still a looking glass, and what I saw in it was a scared girl with no chance of winning.

"I may have new orders for you, Jane," Medea said. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital."

"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by."

The image faded, and Medea turned to me. "There, you see?"

"You lured my dad into a trap," I said. "You helped the giant—"

"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I am a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Yours ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little—just enough to visit him."

"Leo's mother," I said. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"

"Uh-huh," Leo mumbled, in a daze. He frowned at his hammer. "So… I just attack Jason? That's okay?"

"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake."

"No!" I ordered. "Jason, Leo—she's tricking you. Put down your weapons."

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "Please, girl. You're no match for me. I trained with my aunt, the immortal Circe. I can drive men mad or heal them with my voice. What hope do these puny young heroes have against me? Now, boys, kill each other!"

I forced myself not to listen to Medea. I remember what everyone back at Camp said about Annabeth's boyfriend being once predicted about being one of the seven greatest demigods of his generation and how it might be tied to the Great Prophecy. If they were right, and I was one of the seven, then that meant I have the potential to be one of the seven best heroes. Maybe even have the potential to save my dad.

Right now, I didn't feel so great, but it was the closest thing to self-encouragement I can think of to help me save my friends.

"Jason, Leo, listen to me." I put all my emotions into my voice. For years I'd been trying to control myself and not show weakness, but now I poured everything into my words—my fear, my desperation, my anger. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight _her_!"

They hesitated, but I could feel the spell shatter.

Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"

"Something about my mother…?" Leo frowned, then turned toward Medea. "You… you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."

"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way."

She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword of Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.

"You're slow, hero!" she laughed. "Take your frustration on my pets!"

Before Jason could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts—flesh-and-blood winged dragons—crawled out from the pits below. Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not as large compare to Festus, but large enough."

"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo said meekly.

The dragon spread their wings and hissed. I could feel the heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on me.

"Don't look at them in the eye!" Jason warned. "They'll paralyze you."

"Indeed!" Medea was leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watched the fun. "These two dears have been with me a long time—sun dragons, you know, gifts from my grandfather Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your destruction. Ta-ta."

The dragons lunged. Leo and Jason charged to intercept. I must admit I'm pretty amaze how well those two fearlessly worked together to attack the dragons, as if they were trained together for years.

Medea was almost at the second floor, where she'd be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.

"Oh, no, you don't," I growled, and took off after her.

When Medea spotted me, she started climbing in earnest. For a three-thousand-year-old-lady, she's pretty quick. I climbed at top speed, taking the steps three at a time, and yet I still couldn't catch her. Medea didn't stop at floor two. She hopped the next escalator and continued to ascend.

The potions, I thought. Of course that's what she would go for. Although I had her healing potion, she probably still had other concoctions that can kill us.

Down below, I heard the battle raging. Leo was blowing his safety whistle, and Jason was yelling to keep the dragon's attention. I didn't dare look—not while I was running with a dagger in my hand. I could just see myself tripping and stabbing myself in the nose. That would be super heroic.

I grabbed a shield from a armored manikin on floor three and continued to climb. I imagined Coach Hedge yelling in my mind, just like back in gym class at Wilderness School: _Move it, McLean! You call that escalator climbing?_

As annoying as it sounds in my head, I kept moving.

I reached the top floor, breathing hard, but I was too late. Medea had reached the potions counter.

The sorceress grabbed a swan-shape vial—the blue one that caused painful death. I did the only thing that came to my mind and threw my shield.

Medea turned triumphantly just in time to get hit in the chest by a fifty pound Frisbee. She stumbled backward, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves. Good thing I already snatched the healing potion.

When the sorceress stood from the wreckage, her dress was stained with a dozen different colors. Many of the stains were smoldering and glowing.

"Fool!" Medea wailed. "Do you have any idea what so many potions will do mixed?"

"Kill you?"

The carpet began to steam around Medea's feet. She cough, and her face contorted in pain.

"You've doomed us all!" Medea screamed. Smoke was rolling across the carpet as the stain spread, throwing sparks and setting fires in the clothing racks. "You have only seconds before this concoction consumes everything and destroy the building!"

"We'll see about that!" I said as I headed down to my friends.

I barely got to the first floor while the store was starting to burn down. At this point Leo was pinned down by one of the dragons while Jason was at the other side of the room, dealing with the second one. At this point I was starting to think we wouldn't get out of here with Coach Hedge and the Storm Spirits alive when a miracle happened.

 _CRASH!_ The stained glass ceiling splintered into a rain of multicolored shards as Festus the bronze dragon dropped into the department store.

I never appreciated how big and strong Festus was until he picked up the two sun dragons, flew half way up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons into the pits they'd came from.

"That's my boy!" Leo yelled before he raced the fountain, press the marble tile and closed the sundials. They shuddered as the dragons banged against them, trying to get out, but for the moment they were contained.

Medea, who was still alive, as she tried to get out of the fourth floor which was completely on fire.

Leo Jason and I boarded on Festus back and the bronze dragon flapped his mighty wings, snatching the two cages with the satyr and the storm spirits with his claws and began to ascend.

The last thing we heard as we got out of there was Medea yelled threats about my father will not be saved now and how I brought my friends and me doom before the department store exploded.

 _She's wrong. I will save my dad,_ I thought.

But as much as I tried to encourage myself, I almost believed her. Even with the healing potion in my pocket, even if we restored Jason's memory and things turns out well by chance with his restored memories, we still need a help of a god to take down Enceladus, and all of them were either locked up in Olympus or imprisoned by the Dirt Lady.


	29. Leo's POV Part IX

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part IX**

I kept looking back—expecting to see those nasty sun dragons toting a flying chariot with a screaming magical saleswoman throwing potions at us, but nothing followed us.

I steered the dragon toward the southwest, leaving the burning department store and the suburbs of Chicago behind us, giving way to snowy fields, and a setting sun.

"Good job, Festus. You did awesome." I patted the dragon's metal hide. "Next time we land I'll get you some motor oil and Tobasco sauce."

Festus whirled his teeth weekly as he shuddered. Gears popped and click in his neck.

I couldn't help but frown. Those noises didn't sound good, and Festus week whirling teeth wasn't good. I hope the control disc wasn't still badly damaged. Perhaps I missed some minor damage back in Detroit.

Whatever was the cause, Festus flew at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he was carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws plus three people on his back. The more I thought about it, the more worried I became. Even metal dragons had limits.

"Leo." Piper patted my shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah… not bad for a brainwashed zombie." I hoped I didn't look as embarrassed as I felt. "Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen. If you hadn't talk me out of that spell—"

"Don't worry about it," Piper said.

But I did worry—a lot. I felt terrible about how easily Medea had set me against my own best friend. And those feelings hadn't come from nowhere—my resentment of the way Jason always got the spotlight and didn't really seem to need me. I did feel that way sometimes, even if I wasn't proud of it.

What bothered me the most was the news about my mom. Medea had seen the future down in the Underworld. That was how her patron, the woman in the black earthen robes, had come to the machine shop seven years ago and not only scared me, but ruined my life. That's how my mom died—because of something I might do someday. So in a weird way, even if my fire powers weren't to blame, Mom's death was _still_ my fault.

When we left Medea in that exploding store, I felt a little too good. I hoped she wouldn't make it out, and would go right back to the Fields of Punishment, where she belonged. Those feelings didn't make me proud, either.

Not to mention, if souls were coming back from the Underworld, was it possible my mom could be brought back?

I tried to put the idea aside. That was Frankenstein thinking. It wasn't natural. It wasn't right. Medea might've been brought back to life, but she hand't seemed quite human, with the hissing nails and the glowing head and whatnot.

No, my mom had passed on. Thinking any other way would just drive me nuts. Still, the thought kept poking at me, like an echo of Medea's voice.

"That reminds me," Piper said. She reached in her pocket and took out a familiar vial.

"Piper, is that—" Jason started.

Piper nodded. "I got it before Medea led us to the third floor."

"All those years trying to get your dad's attention finally paid off, huh?" I joked.

Piper punched me half-heartedly before handing the vial to Jason. At first it seemed Jason was considering to take it now, but he must have decided to wait because he gripped it, as if something was bothering him.

"Well, we're going to have to put down soon," I warned my friends. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is—where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," I guessed. My memories of the department store were still fuzzy, but I do remember hearing that. "Medea said something about Oakland, right?"

Piper didn't respond for so long, I wondered if I said something wrong.

"Piper's dad," Jason put in. "Something happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath as if debating what to say. Finally she spoke. "Truth is, three nights before the Grand Canyon trip, I had a dream vision—a giant, telling me my father had been taken hostage. He told me I had too cooperate with him, or he would kill my dad."

There was a brief silence before Jason said, "Enceladus? You mention that name before. Was he the giant in your dream?"

Piper nodded.

"What happened next?"

"I—I tried to reach my dad, but all I got was his personal assistant, and she told me not to worry."

"Jane?" I started to remembered. "Didn't Medea say something about controlling her?"

Piper nodded. "To get my dad back, I had to sabotage this quest, and I'm sure Medea was out to make sure it happened. Make matters worse is that Enceladus wants you two dead too. If I don't sabotage this quest he would kill my dad. But after what we went through, I couldn't do it."

There was a moment of silence again. I look back and saw Jason wrap his arms around Piper. "God, Piper. I'm sorry."

I nodded. "No kidding. You've been carrying that alone this long? Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could help you?"

She glared at them. "Why aren't you two yelling at me or something? I was ordered to kill you! I could have let Medea succeed!"

"But you didn't," Jason said. "You saved both of us on this quest. I'd put my life in your hands any day."

"Same," I agreed.

"But I could have killed my dad!" she cried.

"I doubt it," Jason said, "Enceladus will probably keep him hostage until we get there."

"Still, Enceladus said it himself, at this point my dad is mentally unstable from the torture and barely holding on!"

Jason took the vial and handed it back to Piper.

"Jason, what—"

"If you're right, your dad will need this more than I do," Jason said. "Besides, even if it's not all of it, I can still find out about my past from my sister. That will be enough until we free Hera."

Piper cried and as she reluctantly put the vial back in her pocket.

"So then—since Medea mention the Bay Ares, that's most likely the place where we can find your dad," I said. "Not to mention Enceladus is a Giant right? Maybe we can find out from him where to find Hera."

"It would be a good lead," Jason agreed.

"Even if that's true, the Bay Area is huge!" Piper explained. "We should go ahead with our plan to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits in return for info. If Boreas is right, Aeolus should be able to tell us where to find Enceladus."

I grunted in agreement there. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of us, but I didn't see anything except clouds and lights of a few towns glowing in the dusk.

"What?"

"That… whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."

I glanced back. Piper looked just as confuse as me.

"Right," I said. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail," Jason said. "Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

I shook my head. "Maybe Festus can sense it. You think Aeolus made it?"

"Well, it's a magic trail in the wind," Jason said. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

"Or it's another trap," Piper said. She still sound despaired from earlier.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Jason suggested.

Piper didn't argue as she leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.

I don't blame her. After my mom died I was devastated and shaken. Piper's dad maybe alive, but she sounded as if she might as well signed his death warrant.

We flew in silence for a while. Festus seemed to know where he was going. He kept his course, gently curving toward the southwest and hopefully Aeolus' fortress. Another wind god to visit, a whole new flavor of crazy—Oh boy, I can't wait.

I had way too much on my mind to sleep, but now that I was out of danger, my body had different ideas. My energy levels was crashing. The monotonous beat of the dragon's wings made my eyes feel heavy as I started nodding my head.

"Catch a few Z's," Jason said. "It's cool. Hand me the reins."

"Nah, I'm okay—"

"Leo," Jason said, "you're not a machine. Besides, I'm the only one who can see the vapor trail. I'll make sure we stay on course."

My eyes started to close on their own. "All right. Maybe just…"

I didn't finish my sentence before slumping forward against the dragon's warm neck.

…

In my dream, I heard a voice full of static, like a bad AM radio: Hello? Is this thing working?"

My vision came into focus—sort of. Everything was hazy and gray, with bands of interference running across my sight. I'd never dreamed with a bad connection before.

I think I'm in someone's workshop. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw bench saws, metal lathes, and tool cages. A forge glowing cheerfully against one wall.

It wasn't' the camp forge—too big. Not Bunker 9—much warmer and more comfortable, obviously not abandoned.

Then I realize something was blocking the middle of my view—something large and fuzzy, and so close, I had to cross my eyes to see it properly. It was a large ugly face.

"Holy mother!" I yelped.

The face backed away and came into focus. Staring down at me was a bearded man in grimy blue coveralls. His face was lumpy and covered with welts, as if he'd been bitten by a million bees, or dragged across gravel. Possibly both.

"Humph," the man said. "Holly _father_ , boy. I should think you know the difference."

I blinked. "Hephaestus?"

Being in the presence of my father for the first time, I probably should've been speechless or awestruck or something. But after what I'd been through the last couple of days, with Cyclopes and a sorceress and a face in the potty sludge, all I felt was a surge of complete annoyance.

"Now you show up?" I demanded. "After fifteen years? Great parenting, Fur Face. Where do you get off sticking your ugly nose into my dreams?"

The god raised an eyebrow. A spark caught fire in his beard. Then he threw back his head and laughed so loudly, the tools rattled on the workbenches.

"You sound just like your mother," Hephaestus said. "I miss Esperanza."

"She's been dead for seven years." My voice trembled. "Not that you'd care."

"But I do care, boy. About both of you."

"Uh-huh. Which is why I never saw you before today."

The god made a rumbling sound in his throat, but he looked more uncomfortable than angry. He pulled a miniature motor from his pocket and started fiddling absently with the pistons—just like I do when I was nervous.

I remember what Beckendorf told me: _It's not uncommon for children of Hephaestus to carry tools on us. We never know when we need them, no matter if it's to keep us occupied, or just to calm our nerves. It's a trait we get from our father._

"I'm not good with children," the god confessed. "Or people. Well, any organic life forms, really. I thought about speaking to you at your mom's funeral. Then again when you were in the fifth grade… that science project you made, steam-powered chicken powered Chicken chucker. Very impressive."

"You saw that?"

Hephaestus pointed to the nearest worktable, where a shiny bronze mirror showed a hazy image of me asleep on the dragon's back.

"Is that me?" I asked. "Like—me right now, having this dream—looking at me having a dream?"

Hephaestus scratched his beard. "Now you've confused me. But yes—it's you. I'm always keeping an eye on you, Leo. But talking to you is, um… different."

"You're scared," I said.

"Grommets and gears!" the god yelled. Of course not!"

"Yeah, you're scared." My anger started seeping away. For years I always thought about what I would say to my dad if I ever met him—how I would chew him out for being a deadbeat. Now, looking at that bronze mirror, I thought about how my dad had watched over me and my progress over the years, even my stupid science experiments.

Maybe Hephaestus was still a jerk, but I kind of understood where he was coming from. I knew about running away from people, not fitting in. I knew about hiding out in a workshop rather than trying to deal with organic life forms.

I guess Beckendorf was right, I had a lot more in common with my dad than I thought.

"So," I grumbled, "you keep track of all your kids? You got like thirteen back at camp. How'd you ever—Never min. I don't want to know."

Hephaestus might've blushed but I couldn't tell with his beat up red face. "Gods are different from mortals, boy. We can exist in many places at once—wherever people call on us, wherever our sphere of influence is strong. In fact, it's rare our entire essence is together in one place—our true form. It's dangerous, powerful enough to destroy any mortal who looks upon us. So yes… lots of children. Add to that our different aspects, Greek and Roman—" The god's fingers froze on his engine project. "Er, that is to say, being a god is complicated. And yes, I try to keep an eye on all my children, but you especially."

I'm pretty sure Hephaestus was about to say something important—mostly like an accidental slip up, but at the moment, I didn't think much about it.

"Why contact me now?" I asked. "I thought the gods had gone silent."

"We have," Hephaestus grumped. "Zeus' orders—very strange, even for him. He blocked all visions, dreams, and Iris-messages to and from Olympus. Hermes is sitting around bored out of his mind because he can't deliver mail and griping how Iris can still do her job by allowing demigods use her Iris messages to contact each other. Fortunately, I kept my old pirate broadcasting equipment."

Hephaestus patted a machine on the table. It looked like a combination satellite dish, V-6 engine, and espresso maker. Each time Hephaestus jolted the machine, my dream flickered and changed color.

"Used this in Cold War," the god said fondly. "Radio Free Hephaestus. Those were the days. I keep it around for pay-for-view, mostly, or making viral brain videos—"

"Viral brain videos?"

"But now it's come in handy again. If Zeus knew I was contacting you, he'd have my hide."

"Why is Zeus being such a jerk?"

"Hrumph. He excels at that, boy." Hephaestus called me _boy_ as if I was an annoying machine part—an extra washer, maybe, that had no clear purpose but that Hephaestus didn't want to throw away for fear he might need it someday.

Not exactly heartwarming. Then again, I wasn't sure I wanted him to call me "son." And I surely wasn't about to start calling this big awkward ugly guy "Dad."

Hephaestus got tired of his engine and tossed it over his shoulder. Before it could hit the floor, it sprouted helicopter wings and flew itself into a recycling bin.

"It was the second Titan War, I suppose," Hephaestus said. "That's what got Zeus upset. We gods were… well, embarrassed. Don't think there's any other way to say it."

"But you won," I said.

The god grunted. "We won because the demigods of"—against he hesitated, as if he'd almost made a slip again—"of Camp Half-Blood took the lead. We won because our children fought our battles for us, smarter than we did. If we'd relied on Zeus' plan, we would've all gone down to Tartarus fighting the storm giant Typhon, and Kronos would've won. Bad enough mortals won our war for us, but then that young upstart, Percy Jackson—"

"The guy who's missing."

"Hmph. Yes. Him. He had the nerve to turn down our offer of immortality and made us make oaths that supposed to prevent another war like the second Titan war. Some of them, I'll admit were understandable, like making sure the minor gods had cabins and whatnot so they feel respected, and pardoning those like Calypso—"

"Who?" I asked.

Hephaestus waved it off like it wasn't important right now, "But then he told us to pay better attention to our children and made plans for any special case demigods we had to be claimed. Er, no offense."

"Oh, how could I take offense? Please, go on ignoring me."

"Mighty understanding of you…" Hephaestus frowned, then sighed wearily. "That was sarcasm, wasn't it? Machines don't have sarcasm, usually. But I was saying, the gods felt ashamed, shown up by mortals. At first, of course, we were grateful. But after a few months, those feelings turned bitter. We're gods, after all. We need to be admired, looked up to, held in awe and admiration."

"Even if you're wrong?"

"Especially then! And to have Jackson refuse our gift, as if being mortal were somehow _better_ than being a god… well, that stuck Zeus' craw. He decided it was high time we got back to traditional values. Gods were to be respected. Our children were to be seen and not visited. Olympus was closed. At least that was _part_ of his reasoning. Argued against that logic, but Zeus already made his mind up. And, of course, we started hearing of bad things stirring under the earth."

"The giants, you mean. Monsters re-forming instantly. The dead rising again. Little stuff like that?"

"Aye, boy." Hephaestus turned a knob on his pirate broadcasting machine. My dream sharpened to full color, but the god's face was such a riot of red welts and yellow and black bruises, I wish it would go back to black and white.

"Zeus thinks he can reverse the tide," the god said, "lull the earth back to sleep as long as we stay quiet. _That_ part none of really believed. And I don't mind saying, we're in no shape to fight another war. We barely survived the Titans. If we're repeating the old pattern, what comes next is worse."

"The giants," I said. "Hera said demigods and gods had to join forces to defeat them. Is that true?"

"Mmm. I hate to agree with my mother about anything, but yes. Those giants are tough to kill, boy. They're a different breed."

"Breed? You make them sound like racehorses."

"Ha!" the god said. "More like war dogs. Back in the beginning, y'see, everything in creation came from the same parents—Gaea and Ouranos, Earth and Sky. They had their different batches of children—your Titans, your Elder Cyclopes, Your Hundred Handed ones, and so forth. Then Kronos, the head Titan—well, you've probably heard how he chopped up his father Ouranos with a scythe and took over the world. Then we gods came along, children of the Titans, and defeated _them_. But that wasn't the end of it. The earth bore a new batch of children, except they were sired by Tartarus, the spirit of the eternal abyss—the darkest, most evil place in the Underworld. Those children, the giants, were bred for one purpose—revenge on _us_ for the fall of the Titans. Although there were some who went against what they were bred for, we did have to fight those out to destroy Olympus, and even without all their siblings they came close. But now I fear that the Earth has gathered almost all of her children."

Hephaestus' beard began to smolder. He absently swatted out the flames. "What my horrible mother Hera is doing now—she's meddling fool playing a dangerous game, but she's right about one thing: you demigods have to be unite. That's the only way to open Zeus' eyes, convince the Olympians they must accept your help. And that's the only w ay to defeat what's coming. You're a big part of that, Leo."

The god's gaze seemed far away. I wondered if he really could split himself into different parts—where else was he right now? Maybe his Greek side was fixing a car or going on a date, while his Roman side was watching a ball game and ordering pizza. I tried to imagine what it would feel like to have multiple personalities. I hope it's not hereditary.

"Why me?" I asked. "Why claim me now? Why not when I was thirteen, like you're supposed to? Or you could've claimed me at seven, before my mom died! Why didn't you warn me about _this_?"

My hand burst into flames.

Hephaestus sadly regarded me. "Hardest part, boy. Letting my children walk their own paths. Interfering doesn't work. The Fates make sure of that. As for claiming, I'm sure your brother Charles Beckendorf told you about it, right?"

"Yeah, he said there were possible demigods that the gods were taking their time, picking the right moment to claim them," I said.

"Well, you were one of them. I can't explain it much more, but—"

My dream went fuzzy. For a moment, it turned into a rerun of _Wheel of Fortune_. Then Hephaestus came back into focus.

"Blast," he said. "I can't talk much longer. Zeus is sensing an illegal dream. He is lord of the air, after all, including airwaves. Just listen, boy: you have a roll to play. Charles and your friend Jason is right—fire is a gift, not a curse. I don't give that blessing to just anyone. They'll never defeat the giants without you, much less the mistress they serve. She's worse than any god or Titan."

"Who?" I demanded.

Hephaestus frowned, his image becoming fuzzier. "I told you. Yes, I' pretty sure I told you. Just be warned: along the way, you're going to lose some friends and some valuable tools. But that isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines. And everything can be reused."

"What do you mean? I don't like the sound of that."

"No, you shouldn't." Hephaestus' image was barely visible, just a blob in the static. "Just watch out for—"

My dream switched to _Wheel of Fortune_ just as the wheel hit Bankrupt and the audience said, "Awwww!"

That's when I woke up to Jason and Piper screaming while Festus was in a free fall.


	30. Leo's POV Part X

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part X**

We spiraled through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus' hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim.

"Not again!" I yelled. "You can't fall again!"

I could barely hold on. The winds stung my eyes, but I manage to pull open the panel on the dragon's neck. I started toggling the switches and tugging the wires. The dragon's wings flapped once, but I caught a whiff of burning bronze. The drive system was overloaded. Festus didn't have the strength to keep flying, and I can't get to the main control panel on the dragon's head—not in midair. I saw the lights of the city below us—just flashes in the dark as we plummeted in circles. We had only seconds before we crashed.

"Jason!" I screamed. "Take Piper and fly out of here!"

"What?"

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you?" Piper cried. "If you can't reboot him—"

"I'll be fine," I yelled. "Just follow me to the ground. Go!"

Jason grabbed Piper around the waist. They both unbuckled their harnesses and in a flash they were gone—shooting in the air.

"Now," Leo said. "Just you and me Festus—and two heavy cages. You can do it, boy!"

I talked to the dragon while I worked on him while falling at terminal velocity. I could see the city lights below me, getting closer and closer. I summoned fire in my hand so I could see what I was doing, but the wind kept extinguishing it.

I pulled a wire that I thought connected the dragon's nerve center to its head, hoping for a little wake-up jolt.

Festus groaned—metal creaking inside his neck. His eyes flickered weakly to life and he spread his wings. Their fall turned into a steep glide.

"Good!" I said. "Come on, big boy. Come on!"

We were still flying in way too hot, and the ground was too close. I needed a place to land—fast.

There was a big river—no. Not good for a fire-breathing dragon. I'd never get Festus out from the bottom if he sank, especially in freezing temperatures. Then, on the riverbanks, I spotted a white mansion with a huge snowy lawn inside a tall brick perimeter fence—like some rich person's private compound, all of it blazing with light. A perfect landing field. I did my best to steer the dragon toward it, and Festus seemed to come back to life. We could make this!

Then everything went wrong. As we approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on us, blinding me. I heard bursts like tracer fire, the sound of metal being cut to shreds—and _BOOM_.

I blacked out.

…

When I came to my senses, Jason and Piper were leaning over me. I was lying in snow, covered in mud and grease. I spit a clump of frozen grass out of my mouth.

"Where—"

"Lie still," Piper said with tear in her eyes. "You rolled pretty hard when—when Festus—"

"Where is he?" I sat up, but my head felt like it was floating. It seemed that we landed inside the compound. Something had happened on the way in—gunfire?

"Seriously, Leo," Jason said. "You could be hurt. You shouldn't—"

I didn't listen as I pushed myself to my feet. That's when I saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the big canary cages as he came over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Festus wasn't so lucky

He had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body and plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.

"No," I sobbed. I ran to the dragon's head and stroke its snout. The dragon's eyes flickered weakly. Oil leaked out of his ear.

"You can't go," I pleaded, "Please!"

The dragon's head whirred its gears, as if it were purring. Jason and Piper stood next to me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the dragon.

I remembered what Hephaestus had said: _That isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines._

My dad was trying to warn me.

"It's not fair," he said.

The dragon clicked. Long _creak_. Two short _clicks_. _Creak_. _Creak_.

I realized Festus was trying to say something in Morse code—just like my mom had taught me years ago. I listened more intently, translating the clicks into letters: a simple message repeating over and over.

"Yeah," I said. "I understand. I will. I promise."

The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.

I cried and I wasn't even embarrassed. My friends stood on either side, patting my shoulders, saying comforting things; but the buzzing in my ears drowned out their words.

Finally Jason said, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"

I sniffled as I opened the dragon's head panel just to be sure, but the control disk—the one Beckendorf told me originally belonged to an automaton giant Talos that replaced Festus' old disk—was cracked and burned beyond repair.

"Something my dad told me," I said. "Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"

I didn't answer. I worked at the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. It weighted about a hundred pounds but I manage to hold him long enough to place him down. At first I thought to have my dad send Festus' head to bunker nine, but I decided that Festus should go to the one person who would look after the head, the one who originally started fixing Festus. I took out a knife from my toolbelt and scratch out a message: _'Still alive' 'keep safe'_ and _'Bunker Nine'_ in Festus' head before I lifted him.

"Dad, if you can hear me, take Festus back to Beckendorf, or at least to his bunk. Please! I know Beckendorf can look after him until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of my arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at me in amazement. "He _answered_ you?"

"I had a dream," I managed. "Tell you later."

I knew I owed my friends a better explanation, but I could barely speak. I felt like a broken machine myself—like someone had removed one little part of me, and now I'd never be complete. I might move, I might talk, I might keep going and do my job. But I'd always be off balance, never calibrate exactly right.

Still I couldn't afford to break down completely. Otherwise, Festus had died for nothing. I had to finish this quest—for my friends, for my mom, and for my dragon.

I looked around. The large white mansion glowed in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter, but now I could see—or rather _sense_ —just how well those walls were defended and it didn't make me feel any better.

"Where are we?" I asked. "I mean, what city?"

"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like—I don't know—"

"Laser," I said. I picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and tossed it over the top of the fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"

"Festus," I said miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"You couldn't have known," Piper said. "He saved our lives again."

"But what now?" Jason said. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."

I looked up the walkway at the big white mansion. I could sense the multiple traps in the yard. Maybe now that I can sense them I won't lead my friends to the same fate as my dragon.

"Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in," I said.


	31. Jason's POV Part XI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XI**

I would've died five times from just getting to the front door if it was not for Leo.

First it was the motion activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the laser on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding door bell.

Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"You're amazing, man," I said.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock.

"Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon alone right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, what happened to the dragon wasn't your fault," I said.

Leo didn't listen. "The front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.

Piper stared at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the _door's_ unlocked?"

Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. I expected him to make some joke about the owner being overconfident in their traps, but instead he stepped inside without a word or hesitation.

Before I could follow, Piper caught my arm. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it the wrong way."

I remembered that Piper too been suffering through this quest all because a giant had her dad, so I trusted her words. Now that I think about it, I'm probably last person that should try and make Leo feel better.

It seemed that I was the lucky one out of the three of us. Sure my memory is missing, but I still have a small bit of memory of my sister who—as far as I know—was still alive somewhere out there and hopefully not held captive or killed. If there were people important to me that I did lose just like Leo did, I couldn't remember them.

Not to mention I remember saying some harsh stuff to Leo back at Medea's department store—stuff a friend shouldn't say. Not to mention the fact I'd almost skewered Leo with my sword. If it haven't been for Piper, we both would be dead. Piper, who could have choose her father's life over us, saved us, which I'm grateful for.

So when Piper told us about her father, even when every fiber of my being was urging me to go ahead and drink the healing potion and regain my memories, I decided to give back the potion to Piper to use on her dad when we save him.

If only I can do something to repair Leo's and my friendship right now, but I guess the best thing I can do right now is give the guy some space.

"Okay," I said.

We ducked inside the mansion after Leo.

…

My first impression of the house was that it was dark.

From the echo of my footsteps I could tell the entry hall was enormous, even bigger than Boreas' penthouse; but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peeked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. The windows rose about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-size metal statues. As my eyes adjusted, I saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glinted overhead. Along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" my voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

"Don't see one," Leo said.

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.

"Well, if I knew that—"

"It's okay," I intervened, "It's too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

No one argued against it as we headed out to roll the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then settle in. Thankfully, Leo didn't find any poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.

Without a fire we decided to settle for cold rations. Even if Leo could produce flames, I don't think he was in a mood to cook.

As I ate, I couldn't help but study the metal statues along the walls. They looked like Greek gods or heroes. Maybe that was a good sign. Or maybe they were used for target practice. On the coffee table sat a tea service and a stack of glossy brochures, but I couldn't make out the words. The big chair at the other end of the table looked like a throne. None of us tried to sit in it.

The canary cages didn't make the place any less creepy. The _venti_ kept churning in their prison, hissing and spinning, and I got an uncomfortable feeling they were watching me. I could sense their hatred for the child of Zeus—the lord of the sky who'd ordered Aeolus to imprison their kind. The _venti_ would like nothing better than to tear me apart just for being Zeus' son.

As for Coach Hedge, he was still frozen in mid-shout, his cudgel raised. Leo was working on the cage, trying to open it with various tools, but the lock seemed to be giving him a hard time. Maybe I should not sit next to him in case Hedge suddenly unfroze and went into ninja goat mode. Although I'm sure Coach Hedge will alert us when he does unfreeze by continuing whatever he was shouting about before Medea petrified him.

Despite how wired I felt, once my stomach was full, I started to nod off. The couches were a little too comfortable—a lot better than a dragon's back—and I'd taken the last two watches while my friends slept. I was exhausted.

Piper had already curled up on the other sofa. I prayed that she don't have another dream involving Enceladus.

We were running out of time. Even if Enceladus was linked to finding Hera, if my days were straight, this was early morning of December 20. Which meant tomorrow was the winter solstice.

"Get some sleep," Leo said, still working on the lock cage "It's your turn."

I took a deep breath. Despite the fact part of me figured Leo probably wouldn't say anything, I had to say something. "Leo, I'm sorry about that stuff I said in Chicago. You're not annoying and you _do_ take stuff seriously—especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you can do."

Leo lowered his screwdriver He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, _What am I gonna do with this guy?_

"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said "Don't insult my ability to _annoy_. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe I'm _supposed_ to resent you"

"Lord of the Universe?"

"Sure, you're all— _bam!_ Lightning man. And 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that sours—'"

"Shut up, Valdez."

Leo managed a little smile. Yeah, see. I _do_ annoy you"

"Fine then, I apologize for apologizing."

"Thank you." He went back to work, but at least the tension between us eased. Leo still looked sad and exhausted—just not quite so angry.

"Go to sleep, Jason," he ordered. "It's gonna take a few hours to get this goat man free. Then I still got to figure out how to make the winds a smaller holding cell, 'cause I am _not_ lugging that canary cage to California."

"You did fix Festus on your own, you know. Back in Detroit," I said. "If you didn't we would have been Cyclopes chow. That's most likely why your brother entrusted you with the dragon, because despite the risk he knew you would try your best to keep the dragon running as long as you could."

I was afraid I may have blown it with the last bit, but Leo just sighed.

"Maybe you're right," he said. "Now, sleep, man. I want some time without you organic life forms."

I wasn't sure what that meant, but I didn't argue. I closed my eyes and had a long blissfully dreamless sleep.

…

Remember when I said Coach Hedge will let us know when he is unfrozen. Well, I was right because he woke me up with his mid yell:

"Ahhhgggggggh!"

I instinctively jumped to my feet. I wasn't sure what was more jarring—the full sunlight that now bathed the room or the screaming satyr.

"Coach is awake," Leo said, which was kind of unnecessary.

Gleeson Hedge was capering around on his furry hindquarters, swinging his club and yelling, "Die!" as he smashed the tea set, whack the sofas and charged at the throne.

"Coach!" I yelled, fearing the satyr might trigger some kind of trap if he kept this up.

Hedge turned, breathing hard. His eyes were so wild, I was afraid he might attack. The satyr was still wearing his orange polo shirt and his coach's whistle, but his horns were clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters were definitely all goat. Could you even call a goat _beefy_? I decided it was best to put that thought aside.

"You're the new kid," Hedge said, lowering his club. "Jason." He looked at Leo, then at Piper, who'd apparently also just woken up. Her hair looked like it had become a nest for a friendly hamster.

"Valdez, McLean," the coach said. "What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The _anemoi thuellai_ were attacking and—" He zeroed in on the storm spirit's cage and his eyes went back to DEFCON 1. "Die!"

"Whoa, Coach!" Leo stepped in his path, which was pretty brave, even though Hedge was six inches shorter. "It's okay. They're locked up. We just sprang you from the other cage."

"Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push-ups, Valdez!"

I cleared my throat. "Coach—Gleeson—um, whatever you want us to call you. You saved us at the Grand Canyon—thanks by the way. You were totally brave."

"Of course I was!"

"The extraction team came and took us back to Camp Half-Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits that taken you back to their—um, operator, Medea."

"That witch! Wait—that was impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Yeah, well," Leo said, "somehow she got not dead anymore."

Hedge nodded, his eyes narrowing. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"

"Um." Piper got to her feet, holding out her hands so Coach Hedge wouldn't attack her. "Actually, Glee—can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson seems _wrong_. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."

"Oh." The coach's spirits seemed to deflate, but only for a second. Then his eyes lit up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was _meant_ to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

"Gold?" I looked around. From the way Leo and Piper caught their breath, I would guess they haven't noticed it yet either.

The room was full of gold—the statues, the tea set Hedge had smashed, the chair that was definitely a throne. Even the curtains—which seemed to have opened by themselves at daybreak—appeared to be woven of gold fiber.

"Nice," Leo said. "No wonder they got so much security."

"This isn't—" Piper stammered. "This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"

Before I could decide if I wanted to explain or just shove Coach Hedge back into his cage, a door opened at the far end of the room.

A pudgy man in a golden-fiber-bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He froze when he saw us and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.

He glanced into the room behind him and called, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

I didn't know how to react, but apparently Coach Hedge did. He did the most obvious thing: he raised his club and shouted, "Die!"


	32. Jason's POV Part XII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XII**

It took Piper Leo and me all together just to hold back the satyr. For a short guy he is strong.

"Whoa, Coach!" I said. "Bring it down a few notches."

A younger man charged into the room. My guess is that he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He was dressed in pajama pants with sleeveless T-shirt that said cornhuskers, and he held a sword that looked like it could husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms were covered in scars, and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would've been handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.

Lit immediately zeroed down on me like I was the biggest threat, and stalked toward me, swinging his sword overhead.

"Hold on!" Piper stepped forward, trying for her best calming voice. "This is just a misunderstanding! Everything's fine."

Lit stopped in his tracks, but he still looked wary.

It didn't help that Hedge was screaming, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Coach!" I pleaded, "they may be friendly. Besides, we're trespassing in their house."

"Thank you!" said the old man in the bathrobe. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper said. "Coach, you first."

Hedge clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"

"No!" Piper said.

"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper insisted.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowered his club.

Piper gave Lit a friendly _sorry-about-that_ smile. Even with her hair messed up and wearing two-day-old clothes, she looked extremely cute, and I felt a little jealous that she was giving Lit that smile.

Lit huffed and sheathed his sword. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"Appreciate it," Leo said. "I try not to get run through before lunchtime."

The old man in the bathrobe sighed, kicking the teapot that Coach Hedge had smashed. "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."

Lit frowned. "Your Majesty—"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," the old man said. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense of observing formalities." He did his best to smile but it still looked a little forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

"Midas? Impossible," said Coach Hedge. "He died.

We were sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclined on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and I kept worrying the old guy would forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden boxers under there.

Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper while flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. I wondered if _he_ looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, I doubt it

Piper sat forward. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be—sorry—dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"Interesting." The king gazed out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the distance, downtown Omaha looked like a cluster of children blocks—way too clean and small for a regular city.

"You know," the king said, "I think I _was_ a bit dead for a while. It's strange. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?'

"A very long dream, Your Majesty."

"And yet, now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"But how?" Piper asked. "You didn't happen to have a… patron?"

Midas hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"

"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.

"Coach, not helping," Jason said. "Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"

Leo coughed. "Is that safe? They've got some serious security."

"Oh, yes," the king said. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!"

He fished a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons—a pass code, I guessed.

"There," Midas said. "Safe to go out now."

Coach Hedge grunted. "Fine. But if you need me…" He winked at me meaningfully. Then he pointed at himself, pointed two fingers at the hosts, and sliced a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.

"Yeah, thanks," I said.

After the satyr left, Piper tried another diplomatic smile. "So… you don't know how you got here?"

"Oh, well, yes. Sort of," the king said. He frowned at Lit. "Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn't the weather."

"The oracle," Lit said.

"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha."

I frowned at that bit. Last I check Rachel Dare—the mortal I met in Camp—was the Oracle. I looked at Piper who seem to have the same thought as me, but she kept quiet. Probably because we don't know which side King Midas was on.

The King shrugged. "Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit—it's short of Lityerses, by the way—horrible name, but his mother insisted—Lit has plenty of wide open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. In the old days they called him the Reaper of Men."

"Oh." Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."

Lit's smile was more of a cruel sneer. I was now a hundred percent sure I didn't like this guy, and I started to regret sending Hedge outside.

"So," I said. "All this gold—"

The king's eyes lit up. "Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!"

I looked at one of the brochures on the coffee table. The title said _GOLD: Invest for Eternity_. "Um, you sell gold?"

"No, no," the king said. "I _make_ it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

Leo frowned. "I've seen that commercial."

"Oh don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" the king said. "I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."

"But…" Piper shook her head in confusion. "Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"

The king looked astonished. "Gave it up?"

"Yes," Piper said. "You've got it from some god—"

"Dionysus," the king agreed. "I'd rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I chose the golden touch."

"But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold," Piper remembered. "And you realized how greedy you'd been repented."

"Repented!" King Midas looked at Lit incredulously. "You see, son? You're away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around. My dear, did those stories ever _say_ I'd lost my magic touch?"

"Well, I guess not. They just said you learned how to reverse it with running water, and you brought your daughter back to life."

"That's all true. Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents"—he gestured to his statues—"but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back—"

Lit retreated a few steps. "I hate that."

"I _told_ you I was sorry, son. At any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?"

"Well…" Piper looked truly lost now. "Isn't that the point of the story? That you learned your lesson?"

Midas laughed. "My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here."

I don't blame Piper when she hesitated at first, but I guess she didn't want to offend the king, because she dumped everything out of the pack and tossed it to Midas. As soon as he caught it, the pack turned to gold, like frost spreading across the fabric. It still looked flexible and soft, but definitely gold. The king tossed it back.

"As you see, I can still turn anything to gold," Midas said. "That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead—put your little storm spirit enemies in there."

"Seriously?" Leo was suddenly interested. He took the bag from Piper and held it up to the cage. As soon as he unzipped the backpack, the winds stirred and howled in protest. The cage bars shuddered. The door of the prison flew open and the winds got vacuumed straight into the pack. Leo quickly zipped it shut and grinned. "Gotta admit. That's cool."

"You see?" Midas said. "My golden touch a _curse_? Please. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue."

"She talked a lot," Lit offered.

"Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold." Midas pointed to a corner where a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression, as if she were thinking, _Dad!_

"That's horrible!" Piper said.

"Nonsense. She doesn't mind. Besides, if I'd learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"

Midas pulled off his oversize sleeping cap, and I didn't know whether to laugh or get sick. Midas had long fuzzy gray ears sticking up from his white hair—like Bugs Bunny's, but they weren't rabbit ears. They were donkey ears.

"Oh, wow," Leo said. "I didn't need to see that."

"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighed. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of a donkey, and _voilà_. This was my reward for being truthful. I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing." Midas pointed out another golden statue—a bald man in a toga, holding a shears. "That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again.

The king smiled. Suddenly he didn't strike me as a harmless old man in a bathrobe. His eyes had a merry glow to them—the look of a madman who knew he was mad, accepted his madness, and enjoyed it. "Yes, gold has many uses. I think that _must_ be why I was brought back, eh Lit? To bankroll our patron."

Lit nodded. "That and my good sword arm."

Suddenly the air in the room seemed much colder as I glanced at my friends.

"So you do have a patron," I said. "You work for the giants."

King Midas waved his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."

I slipped my hand into my pocket and grabbed my gold coin. "The last group?"

"Hunters," Lit snarled. "Annoying girls from Artemis. Especially that daughter of Hades, thinking she could send us back."

I felt a spark of electricity—a _literal_ spark—traveled down my spine. I caught a whiff of electrical fire like I'd just melted some of the springs in the sofa.

My _sister_ had been here

"When?" I demanded. "What happened?"

Lit shrugged. "A few days ago? I didn't get to kill them. They were originally looking for some evil wolves or something, but when they found out about us, that annoying one—a daughter of Hades she claimed to be—threatened to send us back to the Underworld. I wouldn't mind killing her. Fortunately for her, her lieutenant intervened. Something about following their trail first, heading west to find some missing demigod.

 _Percy Jackson,_ I thought. I recalled Annabeth saying that the Hunters were looking for him and how Thalia saw Percy as a kid brother. I also remember from my dream hearing enemy wolves baying. Hera had called them her keepers. Most importantly, I remember Hera saying look for the signs of the daughter of Hades.

Midas scratched his donkey ears. "Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters," he recalled. "They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Despite my security Systems they managed to get out of here by having that daughter of Hades melt them into the shadows or whatnot. I don't have time for those who aren't serious investors."

I stood up warily and glanced at my friends. They got the message as well.

"Well," Piper said, managing a smile. "It's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."

"Oh, but you can't leave!" Midas said. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collections."

I couldn't help but shake this feeling we were facing a similar threat we faced back in Boreas' place. Only instead of becoming someone's ice statue, we were about become someone's gold statue.

Lit was smiling cruely. The king rose, and Leo and Piper moved away from him.

"Don't worry," the king assured them. "You don't _have_ to be turned to gold. I give all my guest a choice—join my collection, or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."

Piper tried to use her charmspeak. "Your Majesty, you can't—"

But before she could finish, the old man quickly lashed out and grabbed her wrist.

"No!" I yelled.

But a frost of gold spread over Piper, and in a heartbeat she was a glittering statue. Leo tried to summon fire, but his powers was still not working. Midas touched his hand, and Leo transformed into solid metal.

I was so horrified I couldn't move. My friends were now golden statues and haven't been able to stop it.

Midas smiled apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waved around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power dampens all others: fire… even charmspeak. Which leaves me only one more trophy to collect.

"Hedge!" I yelled. "Need help in here!"

Of course, at the one time we needed that satyr to charge in yelling 'die', he didn't.

Midas chuckled. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry, my boy. It's not painful. Lit can tell you."

A new idea came to my mind. It was dangerous, but it was my best shot. "I choose combat. You said I could chose to fight Lit instead."

Midas looked mildly disappointed, but he shrugged. "I said you could _die_ fighting Lit. But of course, if you wish."

The king backed away, and Lit raised his sword.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit said. "I am the Reaper of Men!"

"Come on Cornhusker." I summoned my own weapon. This time it came out a javelin, and I was glad for the extra length.

"Oh, gold weapon!" Midas said. "Very nice."

Lit charged at me really fast. He slashed and slice, and I could only dodge the strikes just barely, but my mind with into a different mode—analyzing patterns, learning Lit's style, which was all offense, no defense.

I countered, sidestepped, and block. Lit seemed surprised to find that I was still alive.

"What is that style?" Lit growled. "You don't fight like a Greek."

"Legion training," I said with no idea where that was coming from. "It's Roman."

"Roman?" Lit struck again, but I deflected his blade. "What is _Roman_?"

"News flash," I said. "While you were dead, Rome defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time."

"Impossible," Lit said. "Never even heard of them."

I vaguely remembered what Medea saying something about the Roman time being after her own. I guess it was the same for this guy and His Majesty as well.

I spun on one heel, smacked Lit in the chest with the butt of my javelin, and sent him toppling into Midas' throne.

"Oh, dear," Midas said. "Lit?"

"I'm fine," Lit growled.

"You'd better help him up," I suggested.

Lit cried, "Dad, no!"

Too late. Midas put his hand on his son's shoulder, and suddenly a very angry-looking gold statue was sitting on Midas' throne.

"Curses!" Midas wailed. "That was a nighty trick, demigod. I'll get you for that." He patted Lit's golden shoulder. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you down to the river right after I collect this prize."

I quickly decided to go to the next part of my plan. I need to if I'm going to save Piper and Leo.

I felt a tugging sensation in my guy, and the air pressure in the room dropped so rapidly my ears popped. Midas must've felt it too, because he stumbled to his feet and grabbed his donkey ears.

"Ow! What are you doing?" he demanded. "My power is supreme here!"

Thunder rumbled. Outside the sky turned black.

"No," I said. "Your power just makes it easier to use mine."

"What?" Midas responded.

I raised my javelin, and the ceiling exploded. A lightning bolt ripped through the roof like it was an eggshell, connected with the tip of my spear, and sent out arcs of energy that blasted the sofas to shreds. Chunks of the ceiling plaster crashed down. The chandelier groaned and snapped off its chain, and Midas screamed as it pinned him to the floor. The glass immediately turned into gold.

When the rumbling stopped, freezing rain poured into the building. Midas cursed in Ancient Greek, thoroughly pinned under his chandelier. The rain soaked everything, turning the gold chandelier back into glass. Piper and Leo were slowly changing too, along with the other statues in the room.

Then the front door burst open, and Coach Hedge charged in, club ready. His mouth was covered with dirt, snow and grass.

"What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Where were you?" I demanded while ignoring the spinning in my head caused by summoning the lightning bolt, and it was all I could do to keep from passing out. "I was screaming for help."

Hedge belched. "Getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?"

"No one, now!" I responded. "Just grab Leo. I'll get Piper."

"Don't leave me like this!" Midas wailed.

All around us the statues of his victims were turning to flesh—his daughter, his barber, and a whole lot of angry-looking guys with swords

I grabbed Piper's golden bag and my own supplies.

Then I threw a rug over the golden statue of Lit on the throne, hoping to at least prolong him turning back to flesh until Midas' victims did.

"Let's get out of here," I told Hedge. "I think these guys will want some quality time with Midas."

Hedge nodded reluctantly as he grabbed Leo and I grabbed Piper and got out of the building.


	33. Piper's POV Part XI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XI**

I was glad when I finally woke up. I had this crazy dream about an old guy with donkey ears chasing me around and shouting, _You're it!_

It took me a while to realize that actually happened—well sort of.

"Oh, god," I said. "He turned me to gold!"

"You're okay now," I heard Jason said.

I blinked, trying to figure out where we were. Next to me a campfire blazed, turning the air sharp with smoke. Firelight flickered against rock walls. We were in a shallow cave. Outside the wind howled. Snow blew sideways. It might've been day or night. The storm made it too dark to see.

Jason was next to me, as if keeping an eye on me, making sure I was fine. Leo was across the cave wrapped in a blankets. He didn't look great, but he wasn't dead.

"I got the precious metal treatment," Leo explained. "But I came out of it faster. Dunno why. We had to dunk you in the river to get you back completely. Tried to dry you off, but… it's really, really cold."

"You had hypothermia for a while," Jason said. "We risked as much nectar as we could."

"But—how come I don't feel so cold?" I asked.

Jason and Leo were quiet for a bit. My eyes widened and checked my pockets. The vial of healing potion was still there, but it was obvious that they had to use a little of it.

"Coach did a little nature magic, but there was still a chance of you dying, so we gave you a little bit of the potion," Jason explained. "I made sure there was still enough for your father though.

"Yeah, but her breath might still smell like wild mushrooms and Gatorade for a few days." The coach's ugly face loomed over the fire.

"Thanks," I said as I moved my ankle that was broken. I guess I shouldn't be surprise that it still wasn't in good condition. Medea said the potion cured anything but didn't say anything about healing properties. Still it looked better than before, which could be because of Coach's nature magic and nectar. "How did you beat Midas?"

Jason told me the story, putting most of it down to luck.

The coach snorted. "Kid's being modest. You should've seen him. Hi-yah! Slice! Boom with the lightning!"

"Coach, you didn't even see it," Jason said. "You were outside eating the lawn."

But the satyr was just warming up. "Then I came in with my club, and we dominated that room. Afterward, I told him, 'Kid, I'm proud of you! If you could just work on your upper body strength—"

"Coach," said Jason.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up, please."

"Sure." The coach sat down at the fire and started chewing his cudgel.

Leo stoked the fire, making sure it was blazing.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Pike's Peak," Jason said. "Colorado."

"But that's, what—five hundred miles from Omaha?"

"Something like that," Jason agreed. "I harnessed the storm spirits to bring us this far. They didn't like it—went a little faster than I wanted, almost crashed us into the mountainside before I could get them back in the bag. I'm not going to be trying that again."

"Why are we here?"

Leo sniffed. "That's what _I_ asked him."

Jason gazed into the storm as if watching for something. "That glittery wind trail we saw yesterday? It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I followed it until I couldn't see it anymore. Then—honestly I'm not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop."

"'Course it is." Coach Hedge spit some cudgel splinters. "Aeolus' floating palace should be anchored above us, right at the peak. This is one of his favorite spots to dock."

"Maybe that was it." Jason knit his eyebrows. "I don't know. Something else, too…"

"The Hunters were heading west," I remembered. "Do you think they're around here?"

Jason rubbed his forearm as if the tattoos were bothering him. "I don't see how anyone could survive the mountain right now. The storm's pretty bad. It's already the evening before the solstice, but we didn't have much choice except to wait out the storm here. We had to give you some time to rest before we tried moving."

With the wind outside I didn't blame him.

Coach Hedge chewed on his club and spit splinters into the fire.

Leo broke out some cooking supplies and started frying burger patties on the iron skillet. "So, guys, long as we're telling stories, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. On the way to Omaha, I had this dream. Kinda hard to understand with the static and the _Wheel of Fortune_ breaking in—"

 _"Wheel of Fortune?"_ I was hoping Leo was joking around, but when he looked up from his burgers, his expression was dead serious.

"The thing is," he said, "my dad Hephaestus talked to me."

Leo told us about his dream. In the firelight, with the wind howling, the story seemed even creepier than it was. I could imagine the static filled voice of the god warning about the giants who were the sons of Tartarus, and about Leo losing some friends along the way.

"I don't understand. If demigods and gods have to work together to kill the giants, why the gods stayed silent?" I asked when Leo was done, "If they need us—"

"Ha," said Coach Hedge. "The gods _hate_ needing humans. They liked to be needed _by_ humans, but the other way around. Things will have to get a whole lot worse before Zeus admits he made a mistake. Heck, it took Atlas being freed from holding the sky and Artemis forcing to take his place to open his eyes to the fact that Kronos was rising."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Atlas was retrapped and Artemis was freed with the help of campers and hunters working together before the war started," Coach Hedge explained. "The point is; the gods feel its bad PR to admit they need mortals to help beat an enemy. That's just embarrassing. So when a situation like Titans or Giants rising comes up, Zeus would rather ignore it thinking it will pass than to accept help from mortals."

"There's more, though," Jason said. "When I dream about Hera in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusually paranoid. And Hera—she said she went to those ruins because a voice had been speaking in her head. What if someone's influencing the gods, like Medea influence us?"

I shuddered. I had a similar thought—that some force we couldn't see was manipulating things behind the scenes, helping the giants. Maybe the same force was keeping Enceladus informed about our movements, and even knocked their dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Perhaps Leo's sleeping Dirt Woman, or another servant of hers…

Leo set hamburger buns on the skillet to toast. "Yeah, Hephaestus said something similar, like Zeus was acting weirder than usual. But what bothered me was the stuff he _didn't_ say. Like a couple of times he was talking about demigods, and how he had so many kids and all. I don't know. He acted like getting the greatest demigods together was going to be almost impossible—like Hera was trying, but it was a really stupid thing to do, and there was some secret Hephaestus wasn't supposed to tell me."

Jason shifted. "Chiron was the same way back at camp," he said. "He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss—something. Coach, you know anything about that?"

"Nah. I'm just a satyr. They don't tell us the juicy stuff. Especially an old—"

"An old guy like you?" I asked. "But you're not that old, are you?"

"Hundred and six," the coach muttered.

Leo coughed. "Say what?"

"Don't catch your panties on fire, Valdez. That's just fifty-three in human years. Still, yeah, I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders. I've been a protector for a long time. I even some success in bringing demigods to camp before you."

"Like Clarisse: daughter of Ares.," I remembered, "Silena told me about it."

Coach nodded proudly, "One of my proudest success"—he looked at each of us as if saying we're another one of his greatest success—"Brought her from all the way from Phoenix Arizona. But that was that enough for the Counsel? No! They started saying I was getting unpredictable. Too violent. Can you imagine?"

"Wow." I tried not to look at my friends. "That's hard to believe."

Coach scowled. "Yeah well, then Lord Pan—Lord of the Wild I should state—Died—"

"Died? How does a god die?" Leo asked.

"Long story—the point is, Lord Pan left the remaining wilderness in the care of Satyrs, Nature Spirits, and anyone else willing to save it—and I was willing to do so. Especially when the Titan War started. But do they put me on the front lines to save the wilderness from Titans? No! They send me as far away as possible—the Canadian frontier, can you believe it? Then after the war, they put me out to pasture. The Wilderness School. Bah! Like I'm too old to be helpful just because I like playing offense. All those flower-pickers on the Council—talking about nature."

"I thought satyrs like nature," I ventured.

"Shoot, I love nature," Hedge said. "Nature means big things killing and eating little things! And when you're a—you know—vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don't take nothing from no one! That's nature." Hedge snorted indignantly. "Flower-pickers. Anyway, I hope you got something vegetarian cooking, Valdez. I don't eat flesh."

"Yeah, Coach. Don't eat your cudgel. I got some tofu patties here. Piper's a vegetarian too. I'll throw them on in a second."

The smell of frying burgers filled the air. I usually hated the smell of cooking meat, but my stomach rumbled like it wanted mutiny so I tried to think of vegetables instead, which only made me hungrier.

So when that failed I started thinking about an old story my dad told me... one that has to do with my name.

…

One day in second grade I'd come home in tears and demanded why my father named me Piper. The kids were making fun of me because Piper Cherokee was a kind of airplane.

My dad laughed, as if that had never occurred to him. "No Pipes. Fine airplane. That's not how I named you. Grandpa Tom picked out your name. First time he heard you cry, he said you had a powerful voice—better than any reed flute piper. He said you'd learn to sing the hardest Cherokee songs, even the snake song."

"Snake song?"

Dad told me the legend—how one day a Cherokee woman had seen a snake playing near her children and killed it with a rock, not realizing it was the king of the rattlesnakes. The snakes prepared for war on the humans, but the woman's husband tried to make peace. He promised he'd do anything to repay the rattlesnakes. The snakes held him to his word. They told him to send his wife to the well so the snakes could bite her and take her life in exchange. The man was heartbroken, but he did what they asked. Afterward, the snakes were impressed that the man had given up so much and kept his promise. They taught him the snake song for all the Cherokee to use. From that point on, if any Cherokee met a snake and sang that song, the snake would recognize the Cherokee as a friend, and would not bite.

"That's awful," I had to say. "He let his wife die?"

My dad spread his hands. "It was a hard sacrifice. But one life brought generation of peace between snakes and Cherokee. Grandpa Tom believed that Cherokee music could solve almost any problem. He thought you'd know lots of songs, and be the greatest musician of the family. That's why we named you Piper."

 _A hard sacrifice_. Had my grandfather foreseen something about me, even when I was baby? Had he sense I was a child of Aphrodite? Her dad would probably tell me that was crazy. Besides, Grandpa Tom was no oracle.

And yet what he said seemed to have gotten me through this quest, and I never even realized it

…

"It's done!" Leo interrupted my train of thought.

He handed out the food and we started to eat. While we ate, we talked about our next plan—which meant explaining to Coach Hedge about my dad. Surprisingly, he wasn't too upset to hear I was meant to betray us. In fact, he just said it was destiny that I wouldn't anyways. He agreed that Aeolus must know away we can save my dad and free Hera but for another reason.

"The Bay area has a bad reputation for demigods. Old home of the Titans, Mount Othrys, sits over Mount Tam, where Atlas holds up the sky," Coach said. "I hope that's not the mountain you saw."

I tried to remember the vista in my dreams. "I don't think so. This was inland."

Jason frowned at the fire, like he was trying to remember something.

"Bad reputation… that doesn't seem right. The Bay Area…"

"You think you've been there?" I asked.

"I…" He looked like he was almost on the edge of a breakthrough. I almost forgot that Jason gave up the chance to regain his memory to use the potion for my dad. Even when he was giving me some of the potion, he must of not took any of the potion. Then the anguish came back into his eyes. "I don't know. Hedge, what happened to Mount Othrys?"

Hedge took another bite of paper and burger. "Well, Kronos built a new palace there last summer. Big nasty place, was going to be the headquarters for his new kingdom and all. Weren't any battles there, though. Kronos marched on Manhattan, tried to take Olympus. If I remember right, he left some other Titan in charge of his place, but after Kronos got defeated in Manhattan, the whole place just crumbled on its own."

"No," Jason said.

We turned to him.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Leo asked.

"That's not what happened. I—" He tensed, looking toward the cave entrance. "Did you hear that?"

For a second, I heard nothing. Then there it was: howls piercing the night.


	34. Piper's POV Part XII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XII**

"Wolves," I said. "They sound close."

Jason rose and summoned my sword. Leo and Coach Hedge got to their feet too. I tried, but my ankle reminded me that it haven't recover _yet_. So I was forced to sit down. The most I could do was draw out my dagger.

Then, just outside the firelight at the entrance of the cave, I saw a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark.

More wolves edged into the firelight—black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleamed, and their glowing red eyes looked disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front was almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Jason stepped forward and said something in Latin.

I didn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curled his lip. The fur stood up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tried to advance, but the alpha wolf snapped at his ear. Then all of the wolves backed into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shook in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Hedge cursed. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves were coming back, but the alpha wolf wasn't with them. They didn't attack. They waited—at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit."

The coach hefted his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Coach, they'll rip you apart," I said.

"Nah, I'm good."

Then I saw the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason said. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

I have a lump in my throat. With my ankle still healing, I was probably the weakest link in our 'pack' right now. No doubt the wolves could smell my fear. I might as well be wearing a sign that said free lunch.

The wolves parted, and the man stepped into the firelight. His hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur—wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others I couldn't identify. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing was his face. His thin pale skin was pulled tight about his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like his wolves'—and they fixed on Jason with absolute hatred.

 _"Ecce,"_ he said, _"filli Romani."_

"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellowed.

The wolf man snarled. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack."

If I remember correctly, _faun_ was the Roman name for _satyr_. Not exactly helpful information at the moment, though. Now, if I remember who this wolf guy was in Greek mythology, and how to defeat him, _that_ I could use.

The wolf man studied our little group. His nostrils twitched. "So it's true," he mused. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. A Faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. Altogether, without killing each other. How interesting."

"You were told about us?" Jason asked. "By whom?"

The man snarled—perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."

The wolves snarled in the darkness.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leo put up his hammer and two things out of his tool belt—one was a jar of a familiar gunk that Leo had on when he fought the Cyclopes—Myrmekes gunk I think he called it—and the other one was a glass bottle full of clear liquid.

I racked my brain trying to remember more about the wolf guys' name. I knew I heard it before, but I couldn't remember the details.

Lycaon glared at Jason's sword. He moved to each side as if looking for an opening, but Jason's blade moved with him.

"Leave," Jason ordered. "There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want tofu burgers," Leo offered.

Lycaon bared his fangs. Apparently he wasn't a tofu fan.

"If I had my way," Lycaon said with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was once a powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."

"Ha," Coach Hedge said. "For a good reason!"

"He's right," I responded as the details of the myth came back to me—a short, horrible story my dad and I had laughed at over breakfast. I wasn't laughing now.

"Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner," I said. "But the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him flesh. Zeus got outraged—"

"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howled. The wolves behind him howled too.

"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," I continued. "They call… they call werewolves _lycanthropes_ , named after him, the first werewolf."

"The king of the wolves. An immortal, smelly vicious mutt," Coach finished. "One of the few idiots who fed the gods flesh, along with the Child-Eater Tantalus."

Lycaon growled. "I will tear you apart, faun!"

"Oh, you want some goat, buddy? 'Cause I'll give you goat."

"Stop it," Jason said. "Lycaon, you said you _wanted_ to kill me first, but…?"

"Sadly, Child of Rome, you are spoken for. Since this one"—he waggled his claws at Piper—"has failed to kill you, you are to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?" Jason said.

The wolf king snickered. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack.

My heart tried to jump out of my chest. I didn't understand everything Lycaon had said, but a woman who wanted to kill Jason? Medea, I thought. Somehow, she must've survived the explosion. At least, I hope it was Medea.

I struggled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing in my foot.

"You're going to leave now," I said, "before we destroy you."

I put every power into my words, and Lycaon hesitated for a bit. But then his eyes crinkled with humor. "A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter is needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."

Jason stepped forward. "You're not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me."

Lycaon howled and extended his claws. Jason slashed at him, but his golden sword passed straight through as if the wolf king wasn't there.

Lycaon laughed. "Gold, bronze, steel—none of these are any good against my wolves, son of Jupiter."

"He's right! Only silver would work," I said.

"We don't have any silver," Jason stated

"No but I have this!" Leo said as he threw the jar of Myrmekes gunk.

It hit the ground and shattered into a million pieces causing the gunk to spread out and releasing the scent of rotting carcasses.

It must have been affective because the wolves whimpered and back away from the gunk. Even Coach Hedge was covering his nose.

"Gah! Valdez! What is that stuff? It reeks!"

Leo didn't answer as he threw his glass bottle and it shattered on the ground, splattering liquid all over the retreating wolves—combining the smell of rotting carcasses with the unmistakable smell of gasoline—and let me tell you, the two of them combine isn't much better than Myrmekes gunk alone.

Leo wasn't done there, as he shot a burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupted.

Several wolves caught on fire and had to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looked uneasily at the barrier of flames and the horrible stench of what was now seemed to be of burning rotten carcasses. Seriously, what is in that gunk?

"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complained, "It stinks even worse now!"

"Can you summon any Lightning?" I asked Jason.

Jason concentrated, but nothing happened. "I think the snowstorm is interfering or something."

The flames began to sputter out, but the smell remained. I knew it was only a matter of time. Jason dropped his sword and crouched like he was ready to go hand-to-hand. Leo pulled his hammer out of his pack. Coach raised his club with one arm while having the other covering his nose. I raised my dagger which wasn't much but it was all I had.

Lycaon was about to come in and take care of us when there was a ripping sound through the wind—like a piece of tearing cardboard. Outside we heard wolves yelped as if they were shot by something. Then out of nowhere an forward the Lycaon.

He somehow manage to catch it in midair, before yelping in pain. When he dropped the arrow, it left a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow caught him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggered.

"Curse them!" Lycaon yelled. He fixed at Jason with glowing red eyes. "This isn't over, boy."

The wolf king disappeared into the night.

Seconds later, I heard more wolves baying, but the sound was different—less threatening, more like hunting dogs on a scent. A smaller white wolf came to the entrance of the cave but wouldn't enter. It howled into the night.

Eventually it's master melted out of the shadows outside the cave: a hunter in white-and gray winter camouflage, carrying a bow with quivers of glowing silver arrows on her back. Her face was covered in a parka hood but she was clearly a girl—at least twelve from what I can guess. And when I said she melted out of the shadows earlier, I mean she literally melted out of it.

"Whew! Yeah, it's Myrmekes Gunk alright," she said. She then turned to each of us and from what I can tell examined each of us and focus on Jason as if something about him was familiar.

"It's safe! You can come in!" she yelled.

A heartbeat later, a troop of hunters dressed like the girl came in, each armed with the same bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows as their partner.

The one that was a little taller than the rest, crouched in the firelight and snatched up the arrow that wounded Lycaon's hand.

"So close." She said and turned to her companions. "Bianca, Phoebe, stay with me. Phoebe, I want you to watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. We'll catch up with you later."

The other hunters mumbled agreement and disappeared heading after Lycaon's pack.

"Bianca," I finally said to the girl that came in, "As in Bianca di Angelo? Daughter of Hades?"

The girl hesitated. "Do I know you?"

Jason spoke up. "No, but we were told about you, and that you can lead me to my sister Thalia."

The taller girl looked up as if surprised. I thought she might draw her bow, but instead she pulled down her parka hood. Her hair was spiky black, with a silver tiara across her brow. Her face had a super-healthy glow to it, as if she were a little more than human, and her eyes were brilliant blue.

"Jason," she said, "Is that really you?"


	35. Leo's POV Part XI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XI**

I must have the worst luck in our group, and that was saying a lot. How come _I_ don't have a long-lost sister or a movie star dad who needed rescuing? All I got was a tool belt and a dragon that broke down halfway through the quest.

I figured out one thing, though. A thousand years from now, when this quest was being told around the campfire, I figure people would talk about brave Jason, beautiful Piper, and their sidekick Flaming Valdez, who accompanied them with a bag of magic screwdrivers and occasionally fixed tofu burgers.

If that wasn't bad enough, I fall in love with every girl I saw—as long as she's totally out of my league. So when I first saw Thalia, I immediately thought she was _way_ too pretty to be Jason's sister. Then I thought I'd better not say that or I'll get in trouble. I liked her dark hair, her blue eyes, and her confident attitude. She looked like the kind of girl who could stomp anyone on the ball court or the battlefield, and wouldn't give me the time of day—just my type!

The other girl Bianca removed her parka revealing to have dark hair and olive skin with the same super healthy glow as Thalia, which I would fall for as well if it wasn't for her dark eyes. Those eyes looked like they should have belonged to a mad genius not a beautiful girl. Plus, the way she melted out of the shadows was creepy.

I looked back at Jason who was being examined by his sister, probably to make sure he was the real deal.

Once she was certain, she rushed over and hugged Jason.

"Thank Artemis, it is you!" she released the hug and gripped Jason's face. "That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

I laughed. "Seriously?"

I guess I wasn't the only one having that hard to believe. Piper looked as if she was trying to bite back a giggle and Bianca was trying to hide a smirk.

Hedge was the only one who nodded with approval. "Staplers—excellent source of iron."

"For a satyr," Bianca muttered.

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanished. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we _do_ have to talk. Let's sit."

Piper limped over to her spot to sit down, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you okay?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah—my ankle hasn't fully healed yet from breaking it a few days ago," Piper said.

Thalia frowned at the satyr. "Didn't you try any nature healing?"

Hedge scoffed. "Of course I did! Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

"Don't worry. My ankle is actually much better than it originally was when I broke it," Piper said.

"Still, you should go to our friend at the entrance. Phoebe is an excellent healer," Thalia said before turning to Hedge and me, "You two better go with her. Bianca, make sure they don't try anything."

Bianca nodded and stood up. My guess is she understands

"But it's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

But I knew we weren't welcome and that they probably want some privacy to talk—otherwise Thalia wouldn't have send Bianca out with us.

"Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anyone."

Hedge decided to save Piper the pain and limping by picking her up and carrying her to the entrance. I was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"

I saw something in Jason's eyes I didn't expect: Jason was asking for support. He was scared and he wanted somebody else there. I wouldn't be surprise if I wasn't Jason's first choice, but with Piper needing her foot checked, I'm at least glad I'm not his third choice after Coach Hedge.

I grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia didn't look too happy about but the three of us sat at the fire. For a few minutes, none of us spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a scary device—one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But still she regarded Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. I took a few pieces of copper wire out of my pockets and twisted them together.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to say something, or at least break the ice. Maybe I should start by breaking the ice.

"So… the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing—is that like _always_ , or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"

Thalia stared at me like I just evolved from pond scum. Yeah, I was _definitely_ liking this girl.

Jason kicked me in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia… I been wanting to ask you, what happened to our family?"

Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looked like Khione the snow princess—just as cold and beautiful. I guess she wasn't surprise to hear Jason ask that since—from what I been told—Jason was two years old when he was separated from his family.

"Do you remember anything?" she asked.

Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on the bus with Leo and Piper with no memory of my past."

"Which wasn't our fault," I added hastily. "Hera stole his memories."

Thalia tensed. "Hera stole your memories? Are you sure?"

Jason explained about our quest—the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant king taking Piper's dad, the winter solstice deadline. I chimed in to add important stuff: how I helped Beckendorf got the bronze dragon ready for flight, me being able to summon fire, and made excellent tacos.

Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. She seemed impressed about Piper and how she saved our butts from killing each other under Medea's spell. But when Jason mention King Midas, she cursed in Ancient Greek.

"I should've let Bianca had her way with the that menace," Thalia said. "But we were so intent on following Lycaon—Well, I'm glad you got away. But there's one thing I still don't understand, where have Hera kept you all these years?"

"I don't know." Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. "She left me enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looked at the picture and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. Percy's mom had it send to me after I was revived from the tree our dad turned me into when I was dying, but I must have left it in Cabin One after I joined the hunters."

Jason nodded. "Annabeth told me about it. But I think Hera wanted us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave… I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"

"No it's not," Thalia said. "We were destined to see each other, I know that much."

"Because of that Son of Apollo—Uh Halcyon—I think they called him?" I asked.

"Hal for short," Thalia said. "After I joined the Hunters I figured it was just a matter of time before we meet."

Then her face turned stern. "But Jason, you can't trust Hera. We're children of Zeus, and she _hates_ all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering," Jason said. "Does that make any sense?"

Thalia looked down as if the thought have occurred to her. "I don't know. Mother never was clear what happened to you, and for so many years I thought you were dead."

"What do you mean mother wasn't clear what happened to me?" Jason asked, "Annabeth only told me from what she knew, but I need to hear it from you."

Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality wasn't working so well. She looked at the photo, mostly at the seven-year-old dark hair boy like she was envious of how lucky he was. "Our mom wasn't exactly stable Jason, nor was she the most caring mother. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she _was_ beautiful, but she didn't handle fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She… she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. Most mortals can't accept stuff like gods. Not without losing their mind at least."

"But there are mortals who can right?" I asked.

"I only know a few that has but yes there are. Most of them are the very few mortals who were born with the ability to see through the Mist, though," Thalia replied. "Unfortunately our mother wasn't one of them. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods… well, they don't hang around."

I remembered my own mother, the way she'd assured me over and over that my dad would be back someday. But she'd never acted mad about it. She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself—only so I could know my father. She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment, never having enough money—and she seemed fine with it. As long as she had me, she always said, life would be okay.

I watched Jason's face—looking more and more devastated as Thalia described their mom as if his worse fears were confirmed—and for once, I didn't feel jealous of my friend. I might have lost my mom. I might have had some hjard times. But at least I remembered her. I found myself tapping out a Morse code message on my knee: _Love you._ I felt bad for Jason, not having memories like that—not having anything to fall back on.

"So…" Jason didn't seem able to finish the question.

"Jason, you got your friends," I told him. "Now you got your sister, and didn't Annabeth told you herself that she and her boyfriend would accept as a brother too."

Thalia tried to hide a smile as if she knew Annabeth and Percy would but there was still more of the story she had to tell. Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it.

"When I was six," she said, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed—different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom… well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute."

"And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal for eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too—that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but _two_ demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

At this point I started fiddling with my copper wires. I felt like an intruder. I shouldn't be listening to this, but it also made me feel like I was getting to know Jason for the first time—like maybe being here now made up for those four months at Wilderness School, when I had just imagined we had a friendship.

"How did you guys get separated?" I asked.

Thalia squeezed her brother's hand. "You said Annabeth told you the story, what did she tell you?"

"Just that we were separated from two while on some trip our mom set up," Jason said, "And that Hera was involved."

"She was right," Thalia said. "Our mom did take us on a trip that day. You were two I was nine. It was strange back then because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park and…" she took a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes. When I came back… Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said—she said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and you were good as dead. I was a afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don't remember everything, other than the fighting we had. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like _she_ was the only one who matter. Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home. After I met Luke Castellan—a son of Hermes, and Percy Jackson I found out you were alive."

"Through Hal's prediction," Jason said.

Thalia nodded as she recited the words of what I guess were the prediction or I guess were rephrased version: _"I would sacrificed yourself to save your friends. Years of solitude I will stand tall and still, alive but sleeping. Then I will change once again then change again. My path would be sad and lonely, but someday I will find my family again."_

There was a moment of silence.

"Wow," I said. "that's just—wow! And all of it came true—up until finding me I mean?"

Thalia nodded reluctantly. "I sacrificed myself on Half-Blood hill to save my friends from the Kindly Ones and was turned into a tree where I stand still and tall alive but asleep. Then thanks to the golden fleece I returned to the world as a fifteen year old, months afterwards I became a hunter and took my predecessor's: Zoë Nightshade's place as Artemis' Lieutenant but at the same time."

Thalia didn't explain the sad and lonely part, but I get it. Thalia's life wasn't easy.

"Before I joined the Hunters, I did try to contact our mom to find out what happened to you—but that was when I found out she had died in a car crash," Thalia said. "For so many years, I tried to keep it a secret, but—"

"You told Percy and Annabeth," Jason said.

"Only seven years after Hal made the prediction," Thalia said.

"What about Chiron?" Jason asked.

"I never told him, but then again it's hard for anyone to keep a secret from him," Thalia said. "Why?"

"When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead.'"

Thalia frowned. "I guess that makes sense—I never told him about you might be alive."

"Whatever," I said. "The important thing is you've got each other now, right? Fate or not, it should be a good thing

Thalia nodded. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're _my_ age. You've grown up. And if you're right about the Great Prophecy coming forth, then you and your friends would be the other six great demigods Hal mentioned."

"But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff…"

Thalia frowned. "The Roman Stuff?"

"Your brother speaks Latin," I said. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." I pointed out the marks on Jason's arm. I gave Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that happened: Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them. Jason also added what some kid name Clovis said about the gods having different personas.

Thalia plucked her bow string. "Zeus did sometimes speak Latin the second time he stayed with mom. If it was his Roman aspect, Jupiter, it would also explain why he seemed different and more formal. That would make you unique. But it still doesn't explain how you've survived without going to Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him—you would've been hounded by monsters. I know _I_ wouldn't have been able to survive without my friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven—"

"He wasn't alone," I blurted out. We've heard about others like him."

Thalia looked strangely at me. "What do you mean?"

I told her about the slashed up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.

"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" I asked. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."

As soon as I said that I quickly realize how stupid the idea really sounded. Thalia dazzling blue eyes studied me intently, making me feel like a suspect in a lineup.

"I've been all over the country," Thalia mused. "I've never seen evidence of crazy Latin teachers, or purple shirts. Still…" Her voice trailed off, like she'd just had a troubling thought.

"What?" Jason asked.

Thalia shook her head. "There might be one other group that might know something. I haven't formally met the leader, but they're good allies with the Hunters. We even send some girls who decided to leave the hunters but stay loyal to the Hunters to them."

"What is this group?" I asked.

"Amazons," Thalia said.

"Like the website?"

"More like a tribe of women who serve under Artemis without joining the Hunters," Thalia said, "They're sort of like an alternate for girls who wants to serve Artemis without turning their back completely on falling in love with boys and growing up."

"Great where do we find them?" I asked.

"It's not that simple," Jason said.

"You heard of them?" Thalia asked.

"I don't know—but something about it is familiar," Jason said.

"It been like that since he woke up with no memory," I explained

Thalia seemed concern. "Maybe I should talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."

"She's still talking to you?" Jason asked. "Most of the gods have gone silent."

"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia said. "She has to be careful not to let Zeus knows, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus. She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to Percy."

"How would Lycaon be connected to Percy?" I asked. "And how does it connect to us?"

"We need to find out soon," Thalia admitted. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus could tell you."

Just then we heard a wolf yip insistently outside.

"I have to get going," Thalia stood up. "But first I'll take you to Aeolus' palace."

"If you can't, it's okay," Jason said, though he sounded kind of disappointed.

"Oh, please," Thalia smiled and helped him. "I haven't seen you in years and I think I can stand a few minutes before your friend annoys me to the point I'll threaten him. Now, let's go!"


	36. Leo's POV Part XII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XII**

When I saw how well Piper and Hedge were being treated, I felt thoroughly offended.

I thought they would be freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunters Phoebe and Bianca had set up a silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave. How they'd done it so fast, I had no idea, but inside was a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper was decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a hunter. She, Hedge, Bianca, and Phoebe were kicking back drinking hot chocolate.

"Oh, no way," I said. "We've been sitting in a cold cave and you get a luxary tent? Somebody break one of my bones or give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of.

"I'll get the hot chocolate," Bianca said getting up.

"They'll need extra coats too," Thalia said.

Bianca nodded but Phoebe grumbled. Soon Jason and I were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate was first-rate.

"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," I said.

Thalia patted Piper on the back. "Is your ankle better?"

Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."

Thalia winked at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," I volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it."

Naturally I was ignored.

It only took Phoebe and Bianca seconds to break camp, which I could not believe. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of a chewing gum. If it wasn't for the fact we didn't have time, I would ask for the blueprints.

Soon after Thalia send Phoebe back, telling her she would be okay with Bianca. Phoebe didn't look too happy about it but left anyways.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon I was regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters left me in the dust—er, snow.

Of course Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing on us like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. _I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"_

"Let's not," Thali snapped.

So we ran in silence.

Eventually I fell in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"

"I been better," Jason said. "I just wish I understood what happened to me when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of _me_."

"Hey, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a _lot_ like you. And hey, we did learn something else about your past: you might of knew the Amazons or someone in it," I said.

Jason remained quiet which made me wonder if I said the right things.

I wish I could go inside my tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory—maybe a little hammer—bonk the sticking spot and make everything run right. Then we wouldn't have to worry about potions or searching for Jason's past or anything like that.

 _Not good with organic life forms._ Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad.

I was so lost in thought, I didn't even realize that the Hunters had stopped until I slammed into Thalia and nearly sent both of us down the side of the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She steadied both of us before pointing up.

"That," I chocked, "is a really large rock."

We stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below us the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, I could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.

But the real show was above us. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but I figured it was at least as wide as a football stadium ad just as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, ad every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

Wait—hold on—the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.

"We're not seriously crossing that," I said.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But there is one other way, and that's shadow traveling."

"Which is basically melting into and out of shadows," Bianca said.

"But if you're right about Aeolus out for demigods, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to shadow travel into the palace unannounced," Thalia said.

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus' palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason said.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"Yeah, Pikes Peak isn't as big as Mount Olympus," Bianca agreed.

"You're serious?" I asked. "Both of you been there?"

Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory and Bianca quieted down. I guess it wasn't as good memory.

"We should go across in two different groups, Bianca can take two across with Shadow travel. The rest of us will have to cross the bridge."

"Why can't we just do three groups of two and Jason one of us up there?" I asked.

Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize I wasn't joking. "Wait… Jason, you can _fly_?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I should try while carrying someone. Thalia, you mean… you can't fly?"

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid before regaining control. I quickly realize she was a lot more scared of heights than she was letting on.

"Truthfully," she said. "I've never tried. It might be better if we stuck to bridge."

"Maybe you should take the shadow travel," Piper suggest to me.

Normally I would argue, but I remember what the Boreads said about Fire being bad—which is starting to look like they were right since Fire melts ice.

Bianca shadow traveled Piper and me across and let me tell you, I hope I don't have to shadow travel again. It felt strange melting into and out of the shadows. I honestly don't get how someone could go through it so easy.

Coach Hedge was the next to cross with his amazing goat speed which left Thalia and Jason.

While we wait I couldn't help but wonder why wind spirits need ice bridges. I mean. Can't they fly? Are these bridges always here?

Now that I think about it, didn't Hera called Jason a bridge? What was the deal about that. If he's a bridge, maybe he's connected to somewhere?

"Um Leo," Piper said.

"An exchange," I muttered.

"Hey! What's up with Leo?" Thalia asked coming up with Jason.

"I don't know, he just started smoking."

I later realize that I made the right choice shadow traveling as I was overheating.

"Jason, Hera said you were a bridge right?" I asked.

"Yeah but…."

"Well, I was thinking, Bridges connect things right? Maybe you're the connection too two different places that normally don't get along," I explained.

"Like Aeolus' air palace to the ground?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah! Jason, you had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange," I continued.

"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh gods."

Bianca must have realized it as well because she said, "You don't think—"

Jason frowned. "What are you three talking about?"

"I'm confuse too," Piper said.

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent us here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. _You_ are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

At that moment Piper had a face that told me she understood as well.

"What are you talking about?" Hedge asked.

"I don't understand," Jason protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"

"What about that mansion in your dream, Jason?" Piper asked. "That ruined house."

"Yeah, the Wolf house," I responded

Thalia nearly choked. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! _That's_ where they're keeping Hera?"

"You know where it is?" Jason asked.

"Thalia," Bianca said with a concern look.

"Right," Thalia said. "You guys go ahead and find where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! Bianca and I will go with the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"

"But where _is_ the Wolf House?" Jason asked.

"You know where it is, little brother," she said as she grabbed Bianca shoulder, "I'll see you there. I promised."

With that they melted into the shadows across the ridge.

"Can someone tell me what that was about?" Coach Hedge asked.

"We'll explain later," I said. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't—"

"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

"But first, Leo, you should really cool down," Piper said.

I looked down and realize that during my excitement that I was heating up and melted the snow around me.

"Oh right," I said. "yeah, maybe I should cool off real quick before we go."


	37. Jason's POV Part XIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XIII**

I finally found my sister and now I lost her in less than an hour. As we climbed the cliffs of the floating island, I can't help but look back to see if Thalia had came back but she was still gone.

I hope I do see my sister again. Sure she found a new family in my absence, but it's just as everyone been trying to tell me, some of them had accepted me as a brother. And after hearing a little more about Percy, I'll admit, I'm actually a little anxious to meet him.

Still, I could barely tolerate what she said about our mom. I didn't want to know that I had an unstable mother who'd gotten rid of me to appease a goddess. No wonder Thalia ran away.

Then I remembered Zeus' cabin at Camp Half-Blood—that tiny little alcove Thalia had used as a bunk, out of sight from the glowering statue of the sky god. Our dad wasn't much of a bargain, either. I understood why Thalia had renounced that part of her life too.

Meanwhile I'm here holding a golden backpack of winds over my shoulders. The closer we got to Aeolus' palace, the heavier the bag got. The winds struggled, rumbling and bumping around.

The only one who seemed in a good mood was Coach Hedge. Despite still being confused about what just happen back there (join the club), he kept bounding up the slippery staircase and trotting back down. "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand more steps!"

As we climb, Leo and Piper left me in my silence. Maybe they could sense I wasn't in a mood to talk. Piper kept glancing back worried, as if thinking about Thalia's idea of saving Mr. McLean and Hera—which I still have no idea how we're supposed to do that.

Leo kept swatting his own legs, checking for signs that his pants were on fire. He wasn't steaming anymore, but the fact he was steaming freaked me out. It was as if Leo didn't even realize he had smoke coming out of his ears and flames dancing through his hair.

I'm mostly worried about what Leo said. I didn't want to be a bridge, or an exchange, or anything else. I just wanted to know where I came from. And that unnerving look Thalia had when Leo and Piper brought up the burned-out house in my dreams—the place the wolf Lupa told me was my starting point. How did Thalia know that place, and why did she assume I could find it?

The answer seemed close. But the nearer I got to it, the less it cooperated, like the winds on my back.

Finally, we arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though I couldn't imagine who would possibly attack this place. Twenty-foot-high gates opened for us, and the road of polish purple stone led up to the main citadel—a white-columned Rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C.—except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's bizarre," Piper said.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said. "Dang, check this guy's front yard."

The rotunda sat in a circle of a quarter-mile circle. The ground were amazing in a scary way. There were divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section on our right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, so I wasn't sure if they were decorations or alive.

To our left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns—gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, I could see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: _watch Aeolus nightly!_

"One section for each of the four wind gods," I guessed. "Four cardinal directions."

"I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind—"

"Go ahead," I told him. I didn't want to admit it, but I rather send him off as it would be hard enough getting on Aeolus' good side without Coach Hedge waving his club around screaming "Die!"

While the satyr ran off to attack springtime, Leo, Piper, and I walked down the road to the steps of the palace. We passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL, and some that read ow!

"Hello!" A woman floated up to us. I mean _literally_ floated. She was pretty in that elfish way I associated with nature spirits at Camp Half-Blood—petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billowed around her like parachute material. I couldn't tell if she had feet, but if so, they didn't touch the floor. She had a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" She asked. "We've been expecting you."

I tried to respond, but it was a little hard for me to think straight. Not because of how she looked, but rather that I realize the woman was see-through. Her shape faded in and out like she was made of fog. Oddest part was I was getting this strange feeling I seen someone like this before again.

"Are you a ghost?" I asked.

Right away I knew I'd insulted her. Her smile turned into a pout. "I'm an Aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have _ghosts_."

Fortunately for me, Piper came to my rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Piper really out did herself with that one. The compliment seemed a little over the top, but Mellie the aura blushed. "Oh… well, then. So you _are_ from Zeus?"

"Er," I said. "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent! Please, right this way." She led them us some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she mused. "I can fit in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Um okay," I responded.

The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around us, which made me feel like I was pushing through an invisible crowd. The doors blew open and slammed by themselves.

The things I _could_ see were just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other wind nymphs, _aurai_ , would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold them and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an _aura_?" I asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.

Mellie laughed. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us _aurai_. We're all gentle breezes.

She batted her eye brows at me.

"'Course you are," I said.

"So," Piper prompted, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie led us through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if you go in now. Come along!"


	38. Jason's POV Part XIV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XIV**

My draw dropped when I saw the central section of Aeolus' fortress. It was as big and the cathedral, with a soaring dome roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air—cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there was no floor. Seriously! Leo would of fell into the chasm if I haven't caught him and pulled him back up.

"Holy—" Leo gulped. "Hey Mellie. A little warning next time!"

An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside. I remembered seeing winds blasted out of them when we were on Pikes Peak. Other caves were sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustled with harpies and _aurai_. Since they flew, I can see why they don't normally have floors.

"Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit—three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing—and using large quantities of duct tape, which didn't reassure me. In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod—just about anything.

"That can't be safe," I said.

"Oh, it is!" Mellie assured me. "The harpies are very good."

Easy for her to say. She could just drift across without touching the floor, but I decided I had the best chance at surviving, since I could fly, so I stepped out first, and amazingly enough, the floor held. Oddly enough it felt familiar, like I went through something like this before.

Piper grabbed my hand and followed me. "If I fall, you're catching me."

"Uh, sure." I hope I wasn't blushing.

Leo stepped out next. "You're catching me, too, Superman. But I ain't holding your hand."

Mellie led us toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man paid us no attention as Mellie brought us forward. She pushed a forty-two-inch Sony out of our way and led us into the control area.

Leo whistled. "I _got_ to get a room like this."

The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs. Some I recognized—news broadcasts, mostly—but some programs looked a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they were movies, but they looked more like reality shows.

At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone. He had a remote control in each hand and was pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.

He wore a business suit that looked like the sky—blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and move across the fabric. He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he had a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face, so he appeared not really young, not really old, just _wrong_ —like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. He muttered things into his phone, but his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.

Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods—"

"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!"

It was one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As I watched, a Jeep plowed straight into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieked with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that _on purpose_!" he turned toward me with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Um, sir," Mellie said. "This is Jason, son of—"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus said. "You're back. How did it go?"

I hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me—"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was—what—last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."

"I—I don't remember."

Aeolus laughed. "Must not have been a good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus—gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed for a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get suck straight into—"

"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."

"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"

Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on Aeolus. They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Mr. Aeolus." I slipped off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan—something he really didn't want. "Well, how nice."

Leo nudged me, and I offered the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop—you know—ordering demigods to be killed."

Aeolus laughed, and looked incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed—did I order that?"

Mellie checked her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc. … yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

"Oh pish," Aeolus said. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and um, who's on guard duty—Teriyaki? Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen, will you?"

A harpy swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag, and spiraled into the abyss.

Aeolus grinned at me. "Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face darkened, and his suit did the same, a lapels of flashing with lightning. "You know… I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

I tensed as that sounded familiar, and not in a good way. "A… um, voice in your head, sir?"

"Yes. How odd. Mellie, _should_ we kill them?"

"No, sir," she said patiently, "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."

"Of course." Aeolus laughed. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."

"A box of chocolates to _every_ demigod in the world, sir?"

"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"

Aeolus flew off toward the blue screen as newscast music started to play.

I looked at Piper and Leo, who seemed just as confused as me.

"Mellie," I said, "is he… always like that?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows'—that was based on him."

"And that thing about the sea monster," I said. " _Was_ I here before?"

Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus' new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still—not that long."

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper asked.

"Oh…" Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for… twelve hours?"

A voice blared from floating speakers: "And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian Weather—the OW! Channel—Aeolus."

Lights blazed on Aeolus, who was now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile was unnaturally white, and he looked like he'd had so much caffeine his face was about to explode.

"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with the weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today, so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!" He gestured at the blue screen, but when I checked the monitors, I saw that a digital image was being projected behind Aeolus, so it looked like he was standing in front of a U.S. map with animated smiley suns and frowny storm clouds. "Along the eastern seaboard—oh, hold on." He tapped his earpiece. "Sorry, folks, Poseidon is angry with Miami today, so it looks like Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter. Over in the Midwest, I'm not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms! Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies."

Aeolus kept going like that—forecasting each area of the country and changing his predictions two or three times as he got messages over his earpiece—the gods apparently putting in orders for various winds and weather.

"This can't be right," I whispered. "Weather isn't this random."

Mellie smirked. "And how often are the mortal weathermen right? They talked about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us _why_ it's so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It's enough to drive anyone…"

She trailed off, but I knew what she meant. _Mad_. Aeolus was completely mad.

"And that's the weather," Aeolus concluded. "See you in twelve minutes, because I'm sure it'll change!"

The lights shut off, the video monitors went back to random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus' face sagged with weariness. Then he seemed to remember he had guests, and he put a smile back on.

"So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus said. "I suppose… thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

Mellie said, "Um, sir, this is Zeus' son.

"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."

"But, sir, they're here from _Olympus_."

Aeolus' looked stunned. Then he laughed so abruptly, I almost jumped into the chasm. "You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I _knew_ they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"

"Um, what?" I asked.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Aeolus sighed with relief. "It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I _want_ to be god of winds, because the benefits are _so_ much better. Can we start with that?"

I looked at my friends mystified.

"Dude," Leo said, "you think we're here to promote you?"

"Maybe we can use this to our advantage," Piper responded

"You are here to promote me, then?" Aeolus grinned as if not hearing what Piper said. His business suit turned completely blue—not a cloud in the fabric. "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? And of course I'm in the press all the time. So many books have been written about me: _Into Thin Air_ , _Up in the Air_ , _Gone with the Wind_ —"

"Er, I don't think those are about you," I said before I noticed Mellie shaking her head.

Nonsense," Aeolus said. "Mellie, they're biographies of me, aren't they?"

"Absolutely, sir," she squeaked.

"There, you see? I don't read. Who has the time? But obviously the mortals love me. So, we'll change my official title of go of the winds. Then, about salary and staff—"

He started mentioning other stuff he wanted to improve.

I remember what Piper said about using this to our advantage, but I looked at his ear piece and wonder if my dad was listening. If so, I better choose my words wisely so that we can negotiate for the location of Piper's dad, where Hera was held captive, and get the Olympians to agree to renewing Aeolus' contract."

"Sir, before we negotiate your contract we need info for you," I said.

Aeolus expression hardened. "This better not be like last time. Or with Aeneas—the first of your kind."

"My kind?" I asked. "You mean, demigods?"

"Oh, please!" Aeolus said. "I mean your _line_ of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus—the only surviving hero of Troy. When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah. _That's_ what I meant. But during that whole adventure, a was thrown into a conflict about destroying or saving Aeneas ship between Juno and Neptune."

"Um—"

"And don't get me started with Amelia Earhart! I'm _still_ getting calls from Olympus about knocking _her_ out of the sky!"

"Just hear us out. We need information that you would know about," Piper said. "and I'm sure we can make a compromise with the Olympians about your new contract while we talk."

Aeolus tapped his ear piece as if he were listening in to others talking. He frowned a bit as if realizing we weren't send to renegotiate his contract and glared at Mellie. Every once in a while he would have a shock expression and mumble something about _they hardly agree on anything. T_ hen he nodded. "Yeah… uh-huh—okay. The Olympians agreed to renegotiate my contract after I hear you guys out."

"That's great," I responded.

"Too be honest, I don't think it would be necessary to destroy you anyways," Aeolus said. "This hairbrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed."

"Wait, you knew about that?" Leo asked.

"Of course! I know everything. For example, I know of the situation with Piper McLean's father. Serious trouble." He held out his hand, and a scrap of paper fluttered into his rasp. It was a photo of Piper with a guy who must've been her dad. His face _did_ look familiar. I'm pretty sure I seen him in some movies.

Piper took the photo. Her hands were shaking. "This—this is from his wallet."

"Yes," Aeolus said. All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn capture him."

"The what?" Piper asked.

Aeolus waved aside the question and narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Now, _you_ , son of Hephaestus… yes, I see your future." Another paper fell into the god's hand—an old tattered drawing done in crayons.

Leo looked at it as if might be coated in poison. He staggered backward.

"Leo?" I said. "What is it?"

"Something I—I drew when I was a kid." He folded it quickly and put it in his coat. "It's… yeah, it's nothing."

Aeolus laughed. "Really? Just the key to your success. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information in return the Olympians agreed to renegotiate my contract. But I must ask you, are you sure you want to know? Sometimes information can be dangerous."

He smiled at me like I was issuing a challenge. Behind him, Mellie shook her head in a warning way.

"Yeah," I said, "We need to find the lair of Enceladus where Hera is being held."

"Well I can't help you were Hera is. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location—very strong, impossible to locate, even for me," Aeolus said.

"She's at a place called the Wolf House," I said.

"Hold on!" Aeolus put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don't know where that is."

"Enceladus does," Piper persisted.

"Yeah but do you really want his location? He doesn't even watch my shows," Aeolus said.

"Just tell us his location, and if you could get us there, too," I amended. "That would be great."

"Yeah and once we find where Hera is from him and free her, I'm certain your promotion will be finalized," Leo agreed.

Mellie clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds—"

"Mellie, quiet," Aeolus snapped. "You're lucky that the gods agreed with the terms, otherwise you would have been fired for letting these people in under false pretenses

Her face paled. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

Aeolus tilted his head and I guess he was listening to the Olympians.

"Well… Zeus approves," Aeolus muttered. "He says… he says it would be better if you could avoid saving Hera until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned—Ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at down. She says I should help you, especially on the part—oh wait scratch that, she doesn't want me to say the last part. And Hephaestus… yes. Hmm. Very rare they agreed on anything. Hold on…"

I smiled at my friends. Finally, we were having some good luck. Our godly parents were standing up for us.

Back toward the entrance, I heard a loud belch. Coach Hedge waddled in from the lobby, grass all over his face. Mellie saw him coming across the makeshift floor and caught her breath. "Who is _that_?"

I stifled a cough. "That? That's just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He's our…" I wasn't sure what to call him: _teacher, friend, protector, problem_?

"Our guide."

"He's _so_ goatly," Mellie murmured.

Piper poofed out her cheeks pretending to vomit.

"What's up, guys?" Hedge trotted over. "Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares."

"Coach, you just ate and we're using the sod as a floor," I responded. "This is Mellie—"

"An _aura_." Hedge smiled winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."

Mellie blushed.

"And Aeolus here was just about to help us," I said.

"Yes," the wind lord muttered. "It seems so. You'll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo."

"Devil Mountain," Leo asked. "That doesn't sound good."

"I remember that place!" Piper said. "I went there once with my dad. It's just east of San Francisco Bay."

"The Bay Area again?" the coach shook his head. "Not good. Not good at all."

"Now…" Aeolus began to smile. "As to getting you there—"

Suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes were wild. Despite the makeup, he looked like an old man—an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoken to me for centuries. I can't—yes, yes I understand."

He swallowed, regarding me as if I had suddenly turned into a giant cockroach. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. New orders. You all have to die."

Mellie squeaked. "But—but, sir! Zeus said to help them. Aphrodite, Hephaestus—"

"Mellie!" Aeolus snapped. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

" _Whose_ orders?" I said. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us!"

"I doubt it." Aeolus flicked his wrist, and far below us, a cell door opened in the pit. I could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up toward us, howling for blood.

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if _she_ is waking—by all the gods—she cannot be denied. Good-bye, heroes. I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on the air in four minutes."

I summoned my sword and Coach Hedge pulled out his club. However, Mellie the _aura_ yelled, "No!"

She dived at our feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and the linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes had not spread out like a shield and absorbed the burn of the impact. However, it did cause us to fall into the pit as Aeolus screamed from above, "Mellie, you are so fired!"

"Quick," Mellie yelled. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"A little!"

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabbed my hand and an electric charge went through my arm. I understood what she needed. We had to control our fall and head for one of the open tunnels. The storm spirits were following us down, closing rapidly, bringing with them a cloud of deadly shrapnel.

I grabbed Piper's hand. "Group hug!"

Hedge, Leo, and Piper tried to huddle together as they hanged onto Mellie and me as we fell.

'This is NOT GOOD!" Leo yelled.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge yelled up at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"

"He's magnificent," Mellie sighed.

"Concentrate?" I prompted.

"Right!"

We channel the winds so our fall became more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, we slammed into the tunnel at painful speed and went rolling over each other down a steep vent that was not design for people. There was no way we could stop.

Mellie's robes billowed under her. The rest of us clung to her desperately, and we began to slow down, but the storm spirits were screaming into the tunnel behind us.

"Can't—hold—long," Mellie warned. "Stay together! When the winds hit—"

"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge said. "My own mama was an _aura_ , you know. She couldn't have done better herself.

"Iris-message me?" Mellie pleaded.

Hedge winked.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screamed and for a good reason.

Behind us the tunnels was turning dark. I could feel my ears pop as the pressure built.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warned. "But I'll try to shield you."

"Thanks, Mellie," I said. "I hope you get a new job."

She smiled and dissolved, wrapping us in a gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting us into the sky so fast I blacked out.


	39. Piper's POV Part XIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XIII**

I dreamed I was on the Wilderness School dorm roof.

The desert night was cold, but I'd brought blankets, and with Jason next to me, I didn't need any more warmth.

The air smelled of sage and burning mesquite. On the horizon, the Spring Mountains loomed like jagged black teeth, the dim glow of Las Vegas behind us.

The stars were so bright, I had been afraid we wouldn't be able to see the meteor shower. I didn't want Jason to think I dragged him up here on false pretenses. (Even though my pretenses had been _totally_ false.) but meteors did not disappoint us. One streaked across the sky almost every minute—a line of white, yellow, or blue fire. I was sure my Grandpa Tom would have some Cherokee myth to explain them, but at the moment I was too busy creating my own story.

Jason _finally_ took my hand and pointed as two meteors skipped across the atmosphere and formed a cross.

"Wow," he said. "I can't believe Leo didn't want to see this."

"Actually, I didn't invite him," I said casually.

Jason smiled. "Oh, yeah?"

"Mm-hmm. You ever feel like three would be a crowd?"

"Yeah," Jason admitted. "Like right now. You know how much trouble we'd get in if we got caught up here?"

"Oh, I'd make something up," Piper said. "I can be very persuasive. So you want to dance, or what?"

He laughed. His eyes were amazing, and his smile was even better in the starlight. "With no music. At night. On a roof top. Sounds dangerous."

"I'm a dangerous girl."

"That, I can believe."

He stood and offered me his hand. We slow dance a few steps, but it quickly turned into a kiss. I almost couldn't kiss him again, because I was too busy smiling.

…

Then my dream changed—or maybe I was dead in the Underworld—because I found myself back in Medea's department store.

"Please let this be a dream and not my eternal punishment," I murmured.

"No, dear," said a woman's honey sweet voice. "No punishment."

I turned, afraid it was Medea, but it wasn't. There was a different woman next to me, browsing through the fifty percent-off rack.

The woman was gorgeous—shoulder-length hair, a graceful neck, perfect features, and an amazing figure tucked into jeans and a snowy white top.

I have seen my share of actresses—most of my dad's dates were knockout beautiful—but this lady was different. She was elegant without trying, fashionable without effort, stunning without makeup. After seeing Aeolus with his silky face-lifts and cosmetics, I thought this woman looked even more astonishing. There was nothing artificial about her.

And yet, as I watched, the woman's appearance keep changing. I couldn't decide the color of her eyes, or the exact color of her hair. The woman became more and more beautiful, as if her image were aligning itself to my thoughts—getting as close to possible to my ideal of beauty.

"Aphrodite," I said. "Mom?"

The goddess smiled. "You're only dreaming, my sweet. If anyone wonders, I wasn't here. Okay?"

"I—" I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but they all crowded together in my head.

Aphrodite held up a turquoise dress. I thought it looked awesome, but the goddess made a face. "This isn't my color, is it? Pity, it's cute. Medea really does have some lovely things here."

"This—this building exploded," I stammered. "I saw it."

"Yes," Aphrodite agreed. "I suppose that's why everything's on sale. Just a memory, now. And I'm sorry to pull out of your dream. Much more pleasant, I know."

My face burned as I didn't know if I was more angry or embarrassment, but mostly hollow disappointment. "It wasn't real. It never really happened."

"And yet you fell in love with Jason because of those memories," Aphrodite said. "I believe Silena already told you that, right? I must say, I'm glad she agreed to go with Annabeth to pick you up. You two have so much in common. Unfortunately, that also includes difficult trials in your lives."

I remember what Enceladus said about Silena.

"What did Silena do back in the Titan War?" I asked.

"Unfortunately that's not my place to tell," Aphrodite said, "You'll have to ask her yourself if you return to camp. But what I can tell you, if it wasn't for Percy forgiven a lot of the demigods who the Titan Lord manipulated into helping him, she and that son of Nemesis would've been punished."

If I wasn't curious of what Silena did exactly before, I am now, but I decided Aphrodite was right and that I should ask Silena when and if we get back to camp.

"But first," Aphrodite continued. "Medea will be back, along with many other enemies. The Doors of Death have opened."

"What do you mean?"

Aphrodite winked at me. "You're a smart one, Piper. You know."

A cold feeling settled over me. "The sleeping woman., the one Medea and Midas called their patron. She's managed to open a new entrance from the Underworld. She's letting the dead escape back into the world."

"Mmm. And just _any_ dead. The worst, the most powerful, the ones most likely to hate the gods."

"The monsters are coming back from Tartarus the same way," I guessed. "That's why they won't stay disintegrated."

"Yes. Their _patron_ , as you call her, has a special relationship with Tartarus, the spirit of the pit." Aphrodite held up a gold sequined top. "No… this would make me look ridiculous."

I laughed uneasily. "You? You can't look anything but perfect."

"You're sweet," Aphrodite said. "But beauty is about finding the right fit, the most natural fit. To be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself—avoid trying to be something you're not. For a goddess, that's especially hard. We can change so easily."

"My dad thought you were perfect." My voice quavered. "He never got over you."

Aphrodite's gaze became distant. "Yes… Tristan. Oh, he was amazing. So gentle and kind, funny and handsome. Yet he had so much sadness inside."

"Could we please not talk about him in past tense?"

"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't want to leave your father, of course. It's always so hard, but it was for the best. If he had realized who I actually was—"

"Wait—he didn't _know_ you were a goddess?"

"Of course not." Aphrodite sounded offended. "I wouldn't do that to him. Not back then at least. For most mortals, that's simply too hard to accept. It can ruin their lives! Ask your friend Jason— _lovely_ boy, by the way. His poor mother was destroyed when she found out she'd fallen in love with Zeus. No, at the time I met your father, it was better to have Tristan believe I was a mortal woman who left him without explanation."

"If that was the case—why are you talking as if something has change since then?" I asked.

"I think you know why," Aphrodite said with a wink at me.

My eyes widened. "The potion."

Aphrodite nodded. "Jason was wise saving as he could for you despite going against everything he ever believed in before or was taught to believe in. It just shows that love can overcome almost anything even one's nature. As I was saying, half a vial should help ease your father's mind into what he experience and learned without causing him to lose his mind, but he'll still need support afterwards—someone there who can ease him into reality."

"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked.

"I'm sure you'll find away," Aphrodite replied. "If not, I can always give you one of Medea's other kinder potions that erased recent memories to give to him so he can go back to a normal mortal life."

"I'll take my chances with the cure potion," I said.

Aphrodite winked at me like she knew I would. Aphrodite moved onto the next rack, which held battered armor and rip togas, but she looked through them as if they were designer outfits.

"You have a strong will," she mused. "I'm never given much credit among the gods. My children are laughed at. They're dismissed and conceited and shallow."

"Some of them are."

Aphrodite laughed. "Granted. Perhaps I'm conceited and shallow, too, sometimes. A girl has to indulge. Oh, this is nice." She picked up a burned and stained bronze breastplate and held it up for me to see. "No?"

"No," I said.

"Love is a powerful motivator in the world, Piper. I already told you how it can change one's nature, but it also can spur mortals to greatness. Their noblest, bravest acts are done for love."

I pulled out my dagger and studied its reflective blade. "Like Helen starting the Trojan War?"

"Ah, Katoptris." Aphrodite smiled. "I'm glad you found it. I get so much flack for that war, but honestly, Paris and Helen were a cute couple. And the heroes of that war are immortal now—at least in the memories of men. Love is powerful, Piper. It can bring even the gods to their knees. I told this to my son Aeneas when he escaped from Troy. He thought he had failed. He thought he was a loser! But he traveled to Italy—"

"And became the forebear of Rome."

"Exactly. You see, Piper, my children can be quite powerful. _You_ can be quite powerful, because my lineage is unique. I am closer to the beginning of creation than any other Olympian."

I struggled to remember about Aphrodite's birth. "Didn't you… rise from the sea? Standing on a seashell?"

The goddess laughed. "That painter Botticelli had quite an imagination. I never stood on a seashell, thank you very much. But yes, I rose from the sea. The first beings to rise from Chaos were the Earth and Sky—Gaea and Ouranos. When their son the Titan Kronos killed Ouranos—"

"By chopping him to pieces with a scythe," I remembered.

Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. "Yes. The pieces of Ouranos fell into the sea. His immortal essence created sea foam. And from that foam—"

"You were born. I remember now. So you're—"

"The last child of Ouranos, who was greater than the gods or the Titans. So, in a strange way, I'm the eldest Olympian god. As I said, love is a powerful force. And you, my daughter, are much more than a pretty face. So that leads to my question for you: Wo do you think is waking the giants, and who has the power to open doors into the deepest parts of the earth."

Aphrodite waited as if she could sense that I was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together, which made a dreadful picture.

"Gaea," I said. "The earth itself. That's our enemy."

I hoped Aphrodite would say no, but the goddess kept her eyes on the rack of tattered armor. She has slumbered for eons, but she is slowly waking. Even asleep, she is powerful, but once she wakes… we will be doomed. You must defeat the giants before that happens, and lull Gaea back into slumber. Otherwise the rebellion has only begun. The dead will continue to rise. Monsters will regenerate with even greater speed. The giants will lay waste to the birthplace of the gods. And if they do that, all civilization will burn."

"But _Gaea_? Mother Earth?"

"Do not underestimate her," Aphrodite warned. "She is a cruel deity. She orchestrated Ouranos' death. _She_ gave Kronos the sickle and urged him to kill his own father. While the Titans ruled the world, she slumbered into peace. But when the gods overthrew them, Gaea woke again in all her anger and gave birth to a new race—the giants—to destroy Olympus once and for all."

"And it's happening again," I responded. "The rise of the giants."

Aphrodite nodded. "Now you know. What will you do?"

"Me?" I clenched my fists. "What am I supposed to do? Put on a pretty dress and sweet-talk Gaea into going back to sleep?'

"I wish that would work," Aphrodite said. "But no, you will have to find your own strengths, and fight for what you love. Like my favored ones, Helen and Paris. Like my son—your brother—Aeneas."

"Helen and Paris died," I stated.

"And Aeneas became a hero," the goddess countered. "The first great hero of Rome. The result will depend on you, Piper, but I will tell you this: The seven prophesized great heroes of all time must be gathered to defeat the giants. Each of you have an important roll in keeping each other together, and yours is just as important: the mediator. When the two sides meet, you will determined whether there is friendship or bloodshed."

"What two sides?"

My vision began to dim.

"You must wake soon, my child," said the goddess. "I do not always agree with Hera, but she's taken a bold risk, and I agree it must be done. Zeus has kept the two sides apart for too long. Only together will you have the power to save Olympus. Now, wake, and I hope you like the new clothes I picked out."

"What clothes?" I demanded, but the dream faded to black.


	40. Piper's POV Part XIV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XIV**

I woke up at a table at a sidewalk café.

For a second, I thought I was still dreaming. It as a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. At the other tables, a mix of bicyclist, business people, and college kids sat chatting and drinking coffee.

I could smell the eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottlebrush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.

In other words: I was back in California.

My friends sat in chairs around me—all of them with their hands calmly folded across their chest, dozing pleasantly. And they all had new clothes. Wait a second—

I looked down at my own outfit and gasped. "Mother!"

I yelled louder than I meant to. Jason flinched, bumping the table with his knees, and then all of them all of them were awake.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on me and made a little choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

I probably blushed. I was wearing the turquoise dress I'd seen in my dream, with black leggings and black leather boots. I had on my favorite silver charm bracelet, even though I'd left that back home in L.A., and my old snowboarding jacket from my dad, which amazingly went with the outfit pretty well. I pulled out Katoptris, and judging from my reflection in the blade, I'd gotten my hair done, too, and of course my mom included a touch of makeup that sends an obvious message: just because you're going into battle doesn't mean you can't look good while doing so.

"It's nothing," I said. "It's my—" I remembered Aphrodite's warning not to mention that we'd talked. "It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh? You're gonna be the best-dressed warrior in town, beauty queen."

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What… oh."

All of us have been given a makeover. Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses and a porkpie hat.

"God, Leo." I tried not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

"I think he looks good," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I looked better."

In my opinion, the satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose colored shirt, and a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me."

I knew that wasn't true. Looking at him made my head do a little tap dance. Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt, like he'd worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed. His eyes were the same color as the sky. Aphrodite's message was clear: _This one needs no improvement_.

And I agreed.

"Anyway," I said uncomfortably, "how did we get here?"

"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guessed. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."

"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."

"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one _aura_ I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."

"I'm going to be sick," I said. "Anyone else want coffee?"

"Coffee!" Hedge grin was stained blue from the flower. "I love coffee!"

"Um," Jason said, "But—money? Our packs?"

I looked down. Our packs were at our feet, and everything seemed to still be there. I reached into my coat pocket and felt two things: A vial of the cure potion still as it was, and a wad of cash that I didn't have before. I brought out the money.

Leo whistled. "Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!"

"Waitress!" Hedge called. "Six double expressos, and whatever you guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."

…

It didn't take us long to figure out where we were. The menus said "Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA." And according to the waitress, it was 9 a.m. on December 21, the winter solstice, which gave us three hours until Enceladus' deadline.

We didn't have to wonder where Mount Diablo was, either. We could see it on the horizon, right at the end of the street. After the Rockies, Mount Diablo didn't look very large, nor was it covered in snow. It seemed downright peaceful, its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees. But the size deceptive with mountains, I knew. It was probably much bigger up close. And appearance were deceptive too. Here we were—back in California—supposedly my home—with sunny skies, mild weather, laid-back people, and a plate of chocolate chip scones with coffee. And only a few miles away, somewhere on that peaceful mountain, a super-powerful, super evil giant was about to have my father for lunch.

Leo pulled something out of his pocket—the old crayon drawing Aeolus had given him. Aphrodite must've thought it was important if she magically transferred it to his new outfit.

"Wat is that?" I asked.

Leo folded it up gingerly again, and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."

"It's more than that," Jason guessed. "Aeolus said it was the key to our success."

Leo shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about… later."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"Trust me," Leo said. "Now—what's our game plan?"

Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. I had to slap his hand so he wouldn't eat the silverware.

"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."

"Thank you, General Eisenhower," Jason grumbled.

"Hey, I'm just saying!"

"Guys," I said. "There's more you need to know."

It was tricky, because I couldn't mention mom; but I told them I'd figured some things out in my dreams. I told them about our real enemy Gaea.

"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that mother nature? She's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry."

"That's Snow White, Leo," I responded.

"Okay, but—"

"Listen, cupcake," Coach Hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "Piper's telling us something some serious stuff, here. Gaea is no softie. I'm not eve sure _I_ could take her."

Leo whistled. "Really?"

Hedge nodded. "This earth lady—she and her old man the sky were nasty customers"

"Ouranos," I said as I looked up at the sky, wondering it had eyes.

"Right," Hedge said. "So Ouranos, he's not the best dad. He throws their first two sets of triplet kids: the Elder Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones, into Tartarus. That makes Gaea mad, but she bides her time. Then they had another set of twins—the twelve Titans—and Gaea is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. So she goes up to her son Kronos—"

"The big bad dude," Leo said. "The one they defeated last summer."

"Right. And Gaea's the one who gave him the scythe, and tells him, 'Hey, why don't I call your dad down here? And while he's talking to me, distracted, you can cut him to pieces. Then you can take over the world. Wouldn't that be great?'"

None of us said a thing to that. My chocolate chip scone didn't look so appetizing anything. Even though I'd heard the story before, I still couldn't quite get my mind around it. I tried to imagine a kid so messed up, he would kill his own dad just for power. Then she imagined a mom so messed up, she would convince her son to do it.

"Definitely not Snow White," I decided.

"Nah, Kronos was a bad guy. He didn't have his mother's support in eating his own children, nor did he had her support to start up a second Titan war, he did that on his own free will," Hedge said.

"Too much information," Leo said, "Way too much."

"The point is, Kronos is as wicked as it comes, but when it comes to his mother Gaea—well, Kronos might as well be second rate compare his mother. Gaea truly is the mother of all bad guys," Hedge said. "She's so old and powerful, so _huge_ that it's hard for her to be fully conscious. Most of the times, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her—snoring."

"But she talked to me," Leo said. "How can she be asleep?"

Gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. He was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters. Good think the sixth one is his last one. "Even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active—dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. Even now, she's not fully awake. Believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."

"But she's getting powerful," I said. "She's causing the giants to rise. And if their king comes back—this guy Porphyrion—"

"He'll raise an army to destroy the gods," Jason put in. "Starting with Hera. It'll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully."

Gleeson nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."

Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So… climbing a mountain. That would be bad."

My heart sank. First, I'd been asked to betray my friends. Now they were trying to help me rescue my dad even though they knew they were walking into a trap. The idea of fighting a giant had been scary enough. But the idea that Gaea was behind it—a force more powerful than a god or titan… the idea alone scared me, and I didn't want to force my friends into this if they weren't up to it.

"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," I said. "This is too dangerous."

"You kidding?" Gleeson belched and show us his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"


	41. Leo's POV Part XIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XIII**

I guess I shouldn't be surprise our taxi cab didn't take us to the top after hearing what Gaea really was like, but it was still a bummer when it turned out we couldn't. Oddly enough, Gaea wasn't the reason why.

On the way to the top the cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up we found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking our way.

"This is as far as I could go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." I was the first one out and I found out quickly what was wrong with the cab. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. Not fast—just enough to make the driver think he had transmission problem or a bad axle—but I knew different.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but my shoes were already starting to sink. Gaea was messing with us.

We paid the cabbie with what was left of Aphrodite's money and told the cabbie to get out of there quick. Even if we survive this battle, there was no way we were going to risk a cabbie's life by having him wait for us.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle class suburbs, shops and schools. All these normal people living normal lives—the kind I never had but wish I did.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way…"

He pointed to the west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

Okay, that was weird. Jason just basically what was where as if he been here before, or at least seen it a dozen times. Maybe being here trigger a memory or something. I must have not been the only one who thought that way because Piper touched his arm.

"Jason?" she said. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes… no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"Maybe the other camp is somewhere in the area," I said.

"Other camp?" Piper asked.

"One of Leo's crazy theories that involves those like me who could speak Latin and like to refer to the gods by their Roman names," Jason said. Although the way he said it, I would think he found it less crazy now.

"I doubt it! That's the Titan's land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place. You would have to be crazy to set up some kind of Demigod Camp here."

However, the way Jason was staring off toward Berkley Hills, you wouldn't think so. If Coach Hedge is right, why would anyone start a camp around here?

I tried to move my foot, but my heels were already completely embedded in the dirt.

"Hey, guys," I said. "Let's keep moving."

The others noticed the problem.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to me. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

I snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. At first I thought it was a cloud from where we stand, but now that I noticed it, I knew it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We better hurry."

I didn't need to be told twice. If that was where Enceladus the giant was, then I pray that Piper's dad wasn't being cooked right now.

…

The Wilderness School had taken me on several forced marches. Because of it, I thought I was in good shape. But now I don't feel like I am as I started climbing a mountain while the earth was trying to swallow my feet.

In no time I had to roll up the sleeves of my collarless shirt despite the cold sharp wind. I wished Aphrodite had given me walking shorts and some more comfortable shoes, but I was grateful for the Ray-Bans that kept the sun out of my eyes. I slipped my hands into my tool belt and started summoning supplies—gears, a tiny wrench, some strips of bronze. I started working on the pieces—building something—as I walked.

By time we neared the crest of the mountain, I was the most fashionably dressed sweaty, dirty hero ever as my hands were covered in machine grease.

I ended making this little windup toy that rattles and walks across a coffee table. I don't know what it could do as I didn't think much of what I was doing when I was making it, but I slipped it into my tool belt.

I'm starting to miss my army coat with all its pockets. As much as I appreciate Aphrodite leaving me with my tool belt, I still wish I had a lot more pockets to store things—mostly magical items that the tool belt can't summon. I also wish we had more Myrmekes Gunk as it really came in handy against those werewolves. Who would of thought burning that stuff would make it smell far worse than not burning it (then again, I'm probably the first to try it out). Most importantly, I missed Festus. I could use a fire-breathing bronze dragon right now. But I knew Festus would not be coming back—at least, not in his dragon form.

I patted the picture in my pocket—the crayon drawing I made at the picnic table under the pecan tree when I was five years old. I remembered Tía Callida singing as I worked on it, and how upset I was when the winds snatch the picture away. _It isn't time yet, little hero,_ Tía Callida told me. _Someday, yes. You'll have your quest. You will find your destiny, and your hard journey will finally make sense._

Now that Aeolus returned the picture to me, I knew my destiny was getting close; but the journey was as frustrating as this stupid mountain. Every time I thought we reached the summit, it turned out to be just another ridge with an even higher one behind it.

First things first, I thought to myself. Survive today. Figure out the crayon drawing of destiny later.

Finally, Jason crouched behind a wall of rock and he gestured to the rest of us to do the same. I crawled up next to him as Piper pull Coach Hedge down.

"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.

"Shhh!" Piper said.

Reluctantly, the satyr knelt. First the shoes now his outfit—Hedge must of really the makeover Aphrodite gave him. I wouldn't be surprise if he's planning to wear that if he ever goes on his date with Mellie—which by the way not only grosses me out but now made me jealous of the old goat-man because now even HE has a potentially future girlfriend while I'm still living a single life.

Anyways back to why we were hiding.

Just over the ridge where we were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.

The trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment—an earthmover; a big crane, ting with rotating blades at the end like an electric saver that I could guess was for tree harvesting—and a long metal column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine—a hydraulic ax.

I'm not sure why a giant would need construction equipment. I don't even see ow the creature in front of us could even fit in the driver's seat. Enceladus was so large and horrible I had to force myself to focus on him.

He had to be at least thirty feet tall—the height of the trees around him. I was sure the giant could've seen us behind our ridge, but he seemed intent on the weird purple bonfire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, the giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped with biceps bigger than me. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.

Despite what he looked like from the waist up, it was from the waist down that was more terrifying. His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet—like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

After not being able to take it any more of looking at the giant I looked away and ended up finding what we came here for.

Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head was slumped like he was unconscious, so I couldn't make out is face, but apparently Piper recognized him as she choked back a sob.

"Dad," she said.

I swallowed as I wished this was one of those Tristan McLean movies and that Piper's dad was faking being unconscious, but it wasn't. Tristan McLean was half dead and about to be eaten, and we're the only ones who could save him.

"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"

I elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"

"Aw, c'mon," Hedge said.

"No," Jason agreed.

"Fine, we'll all go in," Hedge whispered urgently. "There's four of us and one of him."

"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" I asked.

"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me and Jason distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."

"I hate to admit it, but that plan might be the best one yet," Jason admitted.

I didn't like it, but we couldn't sit here all day and argue against it. It was close to noon—the giant's deadline—and the ground was still trying to pull us down. The dirt was already up to two inches of my knees.

I looked at the construction equipment and got a crazy idea. I took out the little toy I made on our way up here, and I realized what it could do— _if_ I was lucky, which I almost never was. But if it work, it might do us a lot of good—not as much as the plan I had against the Cyclopes—but just enough.

"Let's boogie," I told my friends. "Before I come to my senses."


	42. Leo's POV Part XIV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XIV**

Well, I like to say the plan went well and we got out of there without a problem. But then I'll be lying. The plan went wrong almost immediately.

Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Jason, Coach Hedge, and I walked straight into the clearing.

Jason summoned his golden lance. He brandished it over his head and yelled, "Giant!" Which sounded pretty good, and a lot more confident than I could've managed. I was thinking along the lines of, "We are pathetic ants! Don't kill us!"

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward us and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.

"Well," the giant rumbled. "What a nice surprise."

I didn't like the sound of that as my hand closed around my windup gadget. I stepped sideways, edging my way toward the bulldozer.

Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your—"

"Coach," Jason said. "Shut up."

Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at me. "I don't think that was a compliment."

Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow and I knew what was about to happen.

"Scatter!" I yelled.

Jason and Hedge dove to the left as the giant blew fire—a furnace so hot even Festus would've been jealous. I dodge behind the bulldozer, wound up my homemade device and dropped it into the driver's seat. Then I to the right, heading for the tree harvester.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jason rise and charge at the giant. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I _liked_ that outfit!" then he raised his club and charged, too.

Before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground and made the entire mountain shook.

The shockwave had send my sprawling. I blinked, momentarily stunned. Through the haze of grassfire and bitter smoke, I saw Jason staggering to his feet on the other side of the clearing. He was as stunned as I was. Coach Hedge was knocked out cold. He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log with his legs sticking up.

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to my right. Piper ran into a clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.

Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"

When I heard that, my gut twisted as it dawned to me that we'd played right into Enceladus' hands.

The giant must've read my expression, because he laughed even louder. "That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

I could see Piper's dad more clearly now. He wore ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned—yep, Tristan McLean all right. I had seen that face enough movies. But he had a nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly—not heroic at all.

"Dad!" Piper yelled.

Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes…? Where…"

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go!"

"Of course, dear," the giant rumbled. "Swear your loyalty to me and we have no problem. Only these others must die."

"Don't trust him!" I warned, "He'll kill you."

"Oh, come now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giant with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the _anti_ -Athena, you might say. Compare to some of my brethren—I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

Jason was on his feet now, lance ready; but before he could act, Enceladus roared—a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably heard all the way to San Francisco.

At the edge of the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creature rose up. I realize with nauseating certainty that they hadn't simply been hiding there. They'd risen straight out of the earth.

The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms—one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting out of the top of their shoulders, and another get shooting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, I could smell them. Six guys who never bathed with six armpits each. I decided if I survived this day, I was going to take a three-hour shower just to forget the stench.

I stepped toward Piper. "What—what are those?"

Her blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees."

"In English?"

"Earthborn," she said. "Six armed giants who fought the _first_ Jason."

"Very good, my dear!" Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"

"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving their six hands as though they were driving a car. "Vroom, vroom!"

"Yes, thank you, boys," Enceladus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."

"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning into nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"

Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, _try_ to save your friends and face certain death?"

Piper stepped forward with her eyes blazing with so much rage that even the Earthborns backed away. She radiated with power and beauty that had nothing to with her clothes and makeup.

"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."

Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry, and began to retreat.

"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earth-born! I will show you Jason."

My heart sank as the giant pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.

"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"

…

My biggest surprise: The one look from Jason that told us the game plan.

Jason charged Enceladus, while Piper rushed to her father. As for me, I dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.

The Earthborn was fast, but I was faster. I leaped toward the harvester from five feet away and slammed into the driver's seat. My hands flew across the control, and the machine responded with unnatural speed—coming to life as if it knew how important this was.

"Ha!" I screamed as I got the crane arm to swing through the bon fire, toppling burning logs onto the Earthborn and spraying sparks everywhere. Two giants went down under a fiery avalanche and melted back into the earth—hopefully to stay for a while.

The other four ogres stumbled across the burning logs and hot coals while I brought the harvester around. I smashed a button, and on the end of the crane arm the wicked rotating blades began to whir to life.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Piper at the stake, cutting her father free. On the other side of the clearing, Jason fought the giant, somehow managing to dodge his massive spear and blast of fire breath. Coach Hedge was still heroically passed out.

The whole side of the mountain would be ablaze. The fire wouldn't bother me, but my friend won't be so lucky if they were trapped here. I had to act quickly.

One of the Earthborn—apparently not the most intelligent one—charged the three harvester, and I swung the crane arm in his direction. As soon as the blades touched the ogre, he dissolved like wet clay and splattered all over the clearing. Most of him flew into my face.

I spit out clay from my mouth and turned the harvester toward the remaining Earthborn, who backed up quickly.

"Bad vroom-vroom!" one yelled.

"Yeah, that's right!" I yelled at them. "You want some bad vroom-vroom? Come on!"

Maybe I should have picked my words better, because the three remaining ogres with six arms threw large, hard rocks at super speed—and I knew it was over. I quickly launched myself backward in a somersault off the harvester half a second before a boulder demolished the driver's seat. Rocks slammed into metal. By the time I stumbled to my feet, the harvester looked like a crushed soda can, sinking in the mud.

"Dozer!" I yelled.

The ogres were picking up more clumps of their mother's earth but this time they were glaring in Piper's direction.

Thirty feet away, the bulldozer roared to life. My makeshift gadget has done its job, burrowing into the earthmover's controls and giving it a temporary life of its own. It roared to life and started heading toward the enemy.

Just as Piper cut her dad free and caught him in her arms, the giants launched their second volley of stones. The dozer swiveled in the mud, and skidded to intercept. most of the rocks slammed into its shovel with so much force it pushed the dozer back. Two rocks ricocheted and struck their throwers. Two more Earthborn melted into clay. Unfortunately, one rock hit the dozer's engine, sending up a cloud of oily smoke, and the dozen groaned to a stop. Another great toy broken.

Fortunately, at this time, Piper had dragged her father out of danger and started pouring the cure potion into her father's mouth, muttering words of encouragement to him.

The last Earthborn started charging at her at the moment, but I wasn't going let him. I was out of toys but not out of moves.

"Hey, stupid!" I yelled as I pull a screw screwdriver out of my tool belt and at the Earthborn.

It didn't kill him, but it did sunk deep into his forehead causing him to scream in pain. Next thing he knew, in a blur of turquoise, black, and bronze, Piper sliced through the Earthborn's arms and jabbed through him. The Earthborn melted into the Earth.

Piper's expression was ferocious—almost crazy, like a cornered animal—which made me glad she was on our side.

"Dad, I'll be back," Piper yelled at her dad who was sitting at the ledge.

He looked confused as if he was seeing a dream, and he was still wounded. But he nodded.

"Leo, come on!" Piper said.

I didn't need to be told twice as the battle wasn't over. Jason was still fighting the giant Enceladus—and it wasn't going well.


	43. Jason's POV Part XV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XV**

I knew my odds of coming out of this battle alive dropped the moment my lance broke.

The battle had started well enough. My instincts kicked in, and my gut told me I'd dueled opponents almost as big as Enceladus before. Size and strength equaled slowness, so I just had to be quicker and most importantly paced myself as I wear out my opponent, and avoid getting smashed or flame broiled.

I roll away from the giant's first spear thrust and jabbed Enceladus in the ankle. My javelin managed to pierce the thick dragon hide, and golden _ichor_ —the blood of the immortals—trickled down the giant's clawed foot.

Enceladus bellowed in pain and blasted me with fire. I managed to scramble away by rolling behind the giant, and struck again behind his knee.

It went on like this for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge. I heard combat across the clearing—construction equipment grinding, fire roaring, monsters shouting, and rocks smashing into metal. I heard Leo and Piper yelling defiantly, which meant they were still alive. Yet I tried not to think about it as I couldn't afford to get distracted.

Enceladus' spear missed me by a millimeter. I kept dodging, but the ground just kept sticking to my feet. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb—in fact, I'm starting to see why he was created to fight Athena. He began anticipating my moves, and my attacks were only annoying him, making him more enraged.

"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy the gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."

I didn't waste energy replying. Truth was, I was already tired. The ground clung to my feet, making me feel like I weighed an extra hundred pounds. The air was full of smoke that burned my lungs. Fires roared around me, stoked by the winds, and the temperature of the heat was like an oven.

I dodge another attack and almost tripped over a burning log. I had to distract this giant from my friends so they can deal with the Earthborn and rescue Piper's dad. I couldn't fail.

I retreated, trying to lure giant to the edge of the clearing. Enceladus could sense my weariness as he smiled, baring his fangs.

"The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

My mind was reeling. I didn't know those names, and yet they made my skin tingle, as if my body remembered the pain my mind didn't."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, which turned out to be a big mistake.

I allowed myself to get distracted as Enceladus breath fire at me, and I moved too slowly. The blast missed me, but the heat blistered my back. I slammed into the ground, my clothes smoldering. I was blinded from ash and smoke, and every time I tried to breathe I choked.

I scrambled back as the giant's spear cleaved the ground between my feet.

I managed to stand, but my chances weren't looking good. My best shot was to summon one good blast of lightning—but I was already drained and in my current condition, the effort might kill me. I didn't even know if electricity would harm the giant.

 _Death in battle is honorable_ , Lupa words echoed through my head. It wasn't a comforting thought though.

With one last try, I took a deep breath and charged.

Enceladus let me approached, grinning with anticipation. At the last second I faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. I came up quickly, thrusting with all my might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.

He swept his spear sideway, met my javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, my golden weapon shattered.

The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding me with golden light. The force knocked me off my feet and squeezed the breath out of me.

When we regained my focus, I was sitting at the rim of a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance. I wasn't sure how I'd survived, or how that happened, but my clothes were steaming. I was out of energy. I had no weapon, and Enceladus was still alive.

I tried to get up, but my legs were lead from exhaustion. Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."

Enceladus leaped the crater in one single bound, planting his feet on either side of me. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovered over my chest.

"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea."


	44. Jason's POV Part XVI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XVI**

Time seemed to slow down as I still couldn't move, which is really annoying. I felt myself sinking into the earth like the ground itself was a waterbed—comfortable, urging me to relax and give up. I wonder if the stories of the Underworld were true. Would I end up in the Fields of Punishment or Elysium? If I couldn't remember any of my deeds, would they still count? I wonder if the judges would take that into consideration.

I could see the tip of the spear coming toward my chest in slow motion. I knew I should move, but I couldn't seem to do it. It seemed this was the end of me, before I even found out who I really am.

Just then, I heard Leo yelled, "Heads up!"

A large metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive _thunk_! The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.

"Jason, get up!" Piper called which energized me enough to sit up. My head was still groggy as Piper grabbed me by under my arms and hauled me to my feet.

"Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are _not_ dying on me."

"Yes, ma'am." I felt light-headed, but she was about the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Her hair was smoldering. Her face was smudge with soot. She had a cut on her arm, her dress was torn, and she was missing a boot. Yet she was still beautiful.

About a hundred feet behind her, Leo was standing over a piece of construction equipment—a long cannon-like thing with a single massive piston, the edge broken clean off.

All I had to do was look down the crater to see where the other end of the hydraulic ax had gone. Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.

Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.

Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.

"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."

He was half right unfortunately. We can't defeat him alone. His wounds and armor were already healed up or was mending as he started stumbling up the crater's slope, slipping on the glassy side. We need a god's help. There was only one thing left to do, and I hope my dad was in a listening mood.

"Leo," I said, "if you got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."

With that I leaped at the giant, with no weapon but my bare hands.

"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"

It was an obvious trick, but her voice was so compelling even I fell for it. The giant said, "What?" and turned like there was an enormous spider on his back.

I tackled ahis legs at the right moment. The giant lost his balance. Enceladus slammed into the crater and slid down to the bottom. When he tried to rise, I wrapped my arms around his neck so as when he struggled to his feet, I was riding his shoulders.

"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried to grab my legs, but I scrambled around, squirming and climbing over the giant's hair.

"It's futile, boy. Even if you manage to destroy me, my brothers are rising, and they are ten times as strong as I am. We will destroy the gods at their roots! You will die, and Olympus will die."

 _Father,_ I thought. _If I've ever done anything good, anything you approved of, help me now. I offer my own life—just save my friends._

Suddenly I could smell the metallic scent of a storm. Darkness swallowed the sun. The giant froze as he sensed it too.

"Hit the deck!" I yelled at my friends.

Every hair on my head stood straight up.

 _Crack!_

Lightning surged through my body, straight through Enceladus, and into the ground. The giant's back stiffened and I was thrown off. I regained my bearings when I was slipping down the down the side of the crater, which was now cracking open. The lightning bolt split the mountain itself. The earth rumbled and tore apart and Enceladus' legs slid into the chasm. He clawed helplessly at the glassy sides as he slid into the crevice.

The earth shook as I fell toward the rift.

"Grab hold!" Leo yelled.

My feet were at the edge of the chasm when I grabbed the rope, and Leo and Piper pulled me up.

We stood together exhausted and terrified, as the chasm closed up like an angry mouth. The ground stopped pulling at our feet.

For now, Gaea was gone.

The mountainside was still on fire. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. I spotted a helicopter—maybe firefighters or reporters—coming toward us.

All around us was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piles of clay, leaving only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth, but I figured they would re-form soon enough. The construction equipment were in ruins, and the ground was scarred and blackened.

Coach Hedge groaned and started to sit up. He rubbed his head as what was left of his cloths were now covered with mud and ruined.

He blinked and looked around him at the battle scene. He must of thought he did this, because he picked up his club and got shakily to his feet. "Yeah, you want some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes! Who's the goat, huh?"

He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making what were probably rude satyr gestures at the piles of clay.

Leo and I couldn't help but laugh at this. We didn't have the heart to tell Coach Hedge what really happened. We might as well have the Coach had his celebration.

Then the man stood up across the clearing. Tristan McLean staggered forward. He looked like he just woke up from a strange dream, dazed and confused.

"Piper?" he called. "Piper, what—what is—"

Piper ran over to him and hugged him tightly before he could finish, but he had a look as if he saw a side of her he didn't even know was there—as if he didn't even know her.

"She already gave him the cure," Leo told me. "I guess he just need time to adjust to the truth."

I nodded. "We need to get him out of here," I said.

"Yeah, but how?" Leo asked.

I glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead us. "Can you make us a bullhorn or something?" I asked Leo. "Piper has some talking to do."


	45. Piper's POV Part XV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XV**

Okay, truth time, I didn't give my dad the whole potion—at least not during our battle. I only gave him a little bit, hopefully enough to make sure he doesn't die on me while I fight the monsters.

Believe me, I was tempted to cure him all together, but then I remember what Aphrodite told me about breaking things slowly to my dad. If I had given my dad the whole remaining potion before the battle ended and he saw us fighting I didn't know what would happen. For all I know, he could go into a relapse.

But after seeing how bad he was when I freed him, I couldn't leave him in that state. He's my dad after all.

Anyways, now that the battle was over it was easy to borrow a helicopter thanks to Leo's improvised bullhorn. The Park service copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and when I told the very nice ranger pilot lady that it would be a great idea to fly us to the Oakland Airport, she readily. I had to charm speak the pilot into thinking my dad wasn't Tristan McLean though.

Coach Hedge gathered our supplies after agreeing to put some shoes on as Jason Leo and I tried to get my dad in the helicopter as we climbed in.

"It'll be okay, dad," I told my dad, making my voice as soothing as possible I didn't like using my charm speak on him, but it seem to be the only way to calm him down. I took out the remaining potion. "These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."

"Pier, what happened back there?" Dad asked. "Those things—they had six arms and you defeated one of them. They told me you would die. They said… horrible things will happen.

"I'll explained later," I promised.

"They were real monsters. Real monsters. They said you were a demigod. Your mother was…"

"Aphrodite: Goddess of Love," I said. "Look dad, I'm going to give you what is left of the potion. It should help you out some more."

Dad didn't argue as I gave him what was left of the potion. I guess after what happened at the mountain he knew the potion was deadly. I told him the truth—at least as much as I could.

"I didn't know about Mom," I told him. "Not until you were taken. When we found out you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again."

My dad seemed to be stable now but he still was stunned. "You're heroes—you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a _real_ hero, not like me. Not playing a part of one. I'm so proud of you, Pipes."

He then gazed down the valley. "Your mother never told me."

"She thought it was for the best at the time. She didn't have the potion I gave you," I explained as I glanced at Jason. He was staring out the window to the valley bellow but I knew he was listening. The only reason we had the potion to give my dad was because Jason gave up the opportunity to regain his memories.

We spend the next bit of the trip with me telling my dad about my time in Wilderness School, about Cabin Ten in Camp Half-Blood and some of my _friendlier_ siblings. Dad was surprise to find out that my mom had other children, but he seemed to be returning to himself.

"So then the stories about Aphrodite turn out true," he said.

"Well, most of them," I said. "But mom really did care enough about you to not break the news to you when you two were together."

Dad nodded in understanding as he starting to realize why mom kept it a secret.

I also introduced him to Jason Leo and Coach Hedge, which included who their parents were. I also told him about our encounter with the Hunters of Artemis and meeting Jason's sister Thalia.

When we passed over the hills into East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned so far out the door way, I was afraid he would fall out.

He pointe. "What is that?"

I looked down, but I didn't see anything interesting—just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting East Bay with the inland towns.

"Where?" I asked.

"That road," he said. "The one that goes through the hills."

I picked up the com helmet the pilot gave me and relay the question over the radio. The answer wasn't very exciting.

"She says it's Highway 24," I reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"

Jason stared at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as we flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance with an unsettling expression.

"Will he be okay?" my dad asked.

"I don't know, dad," I replied honestly which worried me as it was the truth.


	46. Piper's POV Part XVI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XVI**

Air traffic control didn't want us to make an unscheduled plan to land at the Oakland Airport—until I got on the radio. Then it turned out to be no problem.

We unloaded on the tarmac, and everyone looked at me.

"What now?" Jason asked.

I felt uncomfortable. I didn't want to be in charge, but right now we need to get my dad home. The only problem was today was the solstice, and we have to save Hera. We also didn't know where to go, or if we were too late.

Dad must of knew what I was thinking because he said, "Go ahead Pipes. Finish your quest. I'll be fine."

"But dad, we need to make sure you get home safely," I said.

"I'll stay with him," Coach Hedge said.

I stared at the satyr as he was the last person I expected to offer. "You?"

"I'm a protector," Gleeson said. "That's my job, not fighting. Of course I'm good at fighting too." He glared at us, daring us to argue.

"Yes," Jason said.

"Terrifying," Leo agreed.

The coach grunted. "But I'm a protector, and I can do this. Your dad's right, Piper. You need to carry on with the quest."

"But…" My eyes stung. "Dad…"

He held out his hands and I hugged him. Jason Leo and even the coach decided to give us a few minutes.

"I love you, Piper. I always have," my dad said. "I—I sent you away because I didn't want you expose to my life. Not the way I grew up—the poverty, the hopelessness. Not the Hollywood insanity either. I thought—I thought I was protecting you. As if your life without me was better, or safer

I heard him say this before, but until now I never believed him. But now I did.

"Dad, I understand," I said. "I wish I can take you to Camp Half-Blood to meet the friends I made there—and maybe Chiron—the activities director—can explain things to you, but mortals aren't allowed in there unless they're the Oracle. But maybe Coach Hedge can help fill you in the rest that I couldn't on the way here."

"It's okay Pipes." My dad said. "As long as you make it out of this crazy quest of yours and your friends alive, I think I'll be fine."

Somehow I believed it. Something else came to my mind.

"Dad, are you going to fired Jane?" I asked.

My dad was thoughtful for a bit. "You know what—yeah. Even if she was being controlled, she wasn't really a good role model, was she?"

"No, she wasn't," I agreed. "Well, if you're serious about firing Jane, I have an idea of who you can hired. Her name is Mellie—I'm sure Coach Hedge can tell you all he can about her, but needless to say she worked for Aeolus longer than most of his secretaries ever have up until she sacrificed her job to help us get to you."

"Mellie, huh?" Tristan said. "Is she another demigod?"

"No—like I said, I'm sure Coach Hedge can fill you in," I said although now that I think about it, Coach might over exaggerate about Mellie, but I'm not going to argue.

Dad nodded. "Okay. I'll give Mellie a chance, for you. And who knows. Maybe of your satyr-protector's supervisors agree with it, I can hired him to be my body guard so that you won't have to worry about me betting kidnapped again."

Of course, the moment dad said that, Coach Hedge ran up to us. "Hey!" Coach Hedge said., "I just asked our ranger friend to call up on your dad's plan. It's on the way now. I just need the home address."

"I got it," dad said.

Dad's sleek white Gulf-stream had finally arrived and taxied next to the helicopter. Hedge and my dad aboard the plane, but then before we thought we were done with Coach Hedge for the rest of the quest he came back down to give us his last good-byes. He gave me a hug and glared at Jason and Leo. "You cupcakes take care of this girl, you hear? Or I'm gonna make you do push-ups."

"You got it, Coach," Leo said, a smile tugging at his mouth.

"No push-ups," Jason promised.

I gave the old satyr one more hug. "Thank you, Gleeson. Take care of him, please. And remember, break things to him easily

"I got this, McLean," he assured me. "They got root beer and veggie enchiladas on this flight, and one hundred percent linen napkins—yum! I could get use to this."

He trotted back up the stairs, almost loosing his shoe for a moment.

When the plane was heading down the runaway, I started to cry. As glad as I was my dad was okay, but I still was holding back my tears too long and I just couldn't hold it anymore. Before I knew it, Jason was hugging me, and Leo stood uncomfortably nearby, pulling Kleenex out of his tool belt.

"Your dad's in good hands," Jason assured me, "You were amazing."

I sobbed into his shirt, allowing my self to be held for six-seven breaths. Then I couldn't indulge myself anymore. My friends needed her. The helicopter pilot was already looking uncomfortable, like she was starting to wonder why she flown us here—a sign that my charmspeak powers was wearing out.

"Thank you, guys," I said. "I—"

I wanted to tell them how much they meant to me. They sacrificed everything, maybe even our quest, to help me. I couldn't repay them, couldn't even put her gratitude into words. But my friends' expression told me they understood.

Suddenly the sky darkened as the clouds decided to cover up the sun, and out of the shadows nearby Bianca di Angelo melted out of them in a tumble. She was still wearing her silver winter camouflage and holding her bow, but her quiver was half empty and it was obvious she been in some kind of battle.

"Bianca!" I responded.

"Thank gods I made it!" Bianca said as she tried to catch her breath. By the looks of it, he used up a lot of her remaining energy to get here."

"Weren't you with my sister?" Jason asked.

"I was, but Thalia send me to get you guys," Bianca said. "The battle is crazy over there, but we found Hera. Where are we?"

"Oakland," Piper said.

"Where are they?" Jason asked.

"The Wolf House!" Bianca said, "You said Oakland right? Good, I don't think I can pull off one more shadow travel."

"But where is it?" Jason asked.

"Some park—Sonoma Valley. Thalia also said something about Jack London," Bianca said. "But it's pretty bad there. I barely got out of there to get here. What's worse, Porphyrion is rising."

I was confused but Jason looked like he'd been shot.

"Bro, are you all right?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I think I know where it is," Jason said. "Sonoma Valley, right? That's not far. Not by air."

I agree with the 'by air' part. Bianca looked as if one more shadow travel trip will either drain her completely or worse. I turned to the ranger pilot, who'd been watching all this with an increasingly puzzled expression.

"Ma'am," I said with my best smile. "You don't mind helping us one more time, do you?"

"I don't mind," the pilot agreed.

"We can't take a mortal into battle," Jason said. "It's too dangerous." He turned to Leo. "Do you think you could fly this thing?"

"Um…" Leo's expression didn't exactly reassure me. But then he put his hands on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine."

"Bell 412HP utility helicopter," Leo said. "Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, serving ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The Tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it."

"In that case—" Bianca searched her pockets and took out an envelope and handed it to me. "Show this to the pilot, once she reads it, she'll let us borrow it."

"What is it?"

"A little precautionary Lady Artemis left us in case we need a form of mortal vehicle when we can't get in contact with her or any of the Olympians for a ride," Bianca said. "Any time we need to borrow a plane or rent a car, no matter what age we are when we joined the hunters, we show this and it will clear things up."

"Hunters of Artemis uses Mortal transportation?" Jason asked.

"It's rare, but it does happen," Bianca said.

Leo grinned when he heard this. "Then hop in, guys. Uncle Leo's gonna take you for a ride."


	47. Leo's POV Part XV

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XV**

Fly a helicopter? Sure, why not. I had done plenty of crazier things that week.

That letter Piper showed to the pilot not only clear things up, but when she looked at Bianca, she had a look that was as if Bianca was royalty or someone honorary. Then again, if she is the daughter of Hades, I guess she would have been a princess of the Underworld.

I still can't get over the fact that just when I thought it would be just the three of us finishing this quest, Bianca showed up. It's was almost as if life decided to trade a satyr who kept passing out or get kidnapped during battles for a Hunter who hates men.

The sun was going down as we flew north over the Richmond Bridge, and I couldn't believe the day had gone so quickly. Once again, nothing like ADHD and a good flight to death to make time fly.

Piloting the chopper, I went back and forth between confidence and panic. If I didn't think about it, I found myself flipping the right switches, checking the altimeter, easing back on the stick, and fly straight. If allowed myself to consider what I was doing, I started freaking out. I imagined my Aunt Rosa yelling at me in Spanish, telling me I was a delinquent lunatic who was going to crash and burn. Part of me suspected she was right.

Jason was acting as my copilot, mostly because the only way to get Bianca to rest up in the back of the helicopter was if Piper was back there. Leave it to a Hunter of Artemis to make a boy feel like a piece of trash that does more bad than good.

Too be honest, Jason was doing really well. I had to tell him which switch to flick and what to do once in a while, but he seem to have a natural sense of altitude and wind current that he didn't show before on Festus.

I guess it's because now that he's actually counted on to help my fly this thing, his brain got a kick start that allowed him to know such stuff. Whatever the reason was, it made me feel better.

"So, what's the Wolf House?" I asked.

"An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it—Jack London."

I couldn't place that name but it sounded somewhat familiar. "He's an actor?"

"Writer." Piper knelt between our seats. "Adventure stuff, right? _Call of the Wild? White Fang_?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "He was a son of Mercury—I mean, Hermes. He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even a hobo for a while. Then he made a fortune writing. He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion—the Wolf House."

"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?" I guessed.

"Partially," Jason said. "But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves—he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There's a lot of holes in his life story—how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much—stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."

The bay slipped behind us, and the helicopter continued north. Ahead of us, yellow hills rolled out as far as I could see.

"So Jack London went to Camp Half-Blood," I guessed.

"No," Jason said. "No, he didn't."

"Bro, you're freaking me out with the mysterious talk. Are you remembering your past or not?"

"Pieces," Jason said. "Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is on sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child—where he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed. It burned in a fire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on the site."

"So," Piper said, "how do you know all this?"

A shadow crossed Jason's face. Probably just a cloud, but I could swear the shape looked like an eagle.

"I started my journey there too," Jason said. "It's a powerful place for demigods, a dangerous place. If Gaea can claim it, use its power to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion—that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess full."

I kept my hand on the joystick, guiding the chopper at full speed—racing toward the north. I could see some weather up ahead—a spot of darkness like a cloudbank or a storm, right where we're going.

Piper's dad called me a hero earlier. And I couldn't believe some of the things I've done—smacking around Cyclopes, disarming exploding doorbells, battling six-armed ogres with construction equipment. It seemed as if it could happen to another person. I was just Leo Valdez, an orphaned kid from Houston. I'd spent my life running away, and part of me still wanted to run. What was I thinking, flying toward a curse mansion to fight more evil monsters?

My mom's voice echoed in my head: _Nothing is unfixable._

 _Except the fact you're gone forever,_ I thought.

Seeing Piper and her dad together had really driven that home. Even if I survived this quest and Hera, who would I have a happy reunion with? My mom is dead, my mortal family wants nothing to do with me. Sure I got siblings in Cabin Nine, but could I really include them? I only knew them for a day and not even a full day. In fact, the only one I had any connections with was Beckendorf, and what did I do in return? I got the dragon he entrusted me with mostly destroyed.

Then there's something up with Jason. It seems that the more he remembered the more edgy he gets. I hope that his personality be an illusion, too? What would happen when he gets his full memory back?

The helicopter shuddered. Metal creaked, and I could almost imagine the tapping was Morse code: _Not the end. Not the end._

I leveled out the chopper, and the creaking stopped. I was just hearing things. I couldn't dwell on my mom, or how things might turn out after words, or the idea that been bugging me—that Gaea was bringing souls back from the Underworld—so why couldn't I make some good come out of it? Thinking like that would drive me crazy. I had a job to do.

I let my instincts take over—just like flying the helicopter. If I thought about the quest too much, or what might happen afterward, I'll panic. The trick was not to think—just get through it.

"Thirty minutes out," I told my friends, though I wasn't sure how I knew. "If you want to get some rest, now's a good time."

"Shut up then," I heard Bianca muttered behind me. I couldn't tell if she was talking in her sleep or actually said that, but I decided not to question it.

For now I just need to focus on the task at hand.


	48. Leo's POV Part XVI

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XVI**

Things went well until we hit the storm clouds.

At first, I thought rocks were pelting the windshield. Then I realized it was a sleet. Frost built up around the edges of the glass, and slushy waves of ice blotted out my view.

"An ice storm," Piper shouted from the back over the engine and the wind.

"No, it's worse than that!" Bianca responded.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but I do know one thing—this storm seemed to have a conscious, malevolent—like it was intentionally slamming us. I was wrestling with the stick, trying to drive the chopper.

"We must be getting close," Jason said.

Below us the ground was a dark quilt of trees and fog. The ridge of a hull loomed in front of us, and I yanked the stick, just clearing the treetops.

"There!" Jason and Bianca said at the same time.

A small valley opened up before us, with the murky shape of a building in the middle. I aimed the helicopter straight for it. All around us were flashes of light that reminded me of the tracer fire at Midas' compound. Trees cracked and exploded at the edges of the clearing. Shapes moved through the mist. Combat seemed to be everywhere.

"The Hunters are fighting," Bianca said, "We need to get down there quickly."

Is it me, or Bianca is becoming a bad backseat flier all of the sudden? Then again if it was my comrades down there fighting for their lives down there, I would be in a hurry too.

I managed to set down the helicopter in an icy field about fifty yards from the house and killed the engine. I was about to relax when I heard a whistling sound and saw a dark shape hurtling toward us out of the mist.

"Out!" I screamed.

We leaped from the helicopter and bared clear the rotors before a massive _BOOM_ shook the ground, knocking me off my feet and splattering ice all over me.

I got up shakily and saw that the world's largest snowball—a chunk of snow, ice, and dirt the size of a garage—had completely fatten the Bell 412.

Bianca—who got out the same side of the helicopter as me—was as far from me as she could be but she looked okay, splattered with ice and mud, but ok.

"You guys all right?" Jason asked as he and Piper ran up to us. Both looked fine except for being speckled with snow and mud.

"Yeah," I shivered.

Behind us loomed Jack London's dream home—a massive ruin of red and gray stones and rough-hewn timber beams. I could imagine how it had looked before it burned down—a combination of a log cabin and castle, like a billionaire lumberjack might build. But in the mist and sleet, the place had a lonely, haunted feel. I could totally believe the ruins were cursed. The only problem was that there was fights breaking out everywhere.

"Jason! Bianca!" a girl's voice called.

Thalia appeared from the fog, her parka caked with snow. Her bow was in her hand, and her quiver was almost empty. She ran toward us, but made it only a few steps before a six-armed ogre—one of the Earthborn—burst out of the storm behind her, a raised club in each hand.

Bianca quickly drew out a silver arrow and shot it at the ogre. It hit the ogre right between the eyes which caused him to melt into a pile of clay.

"Thanks Bianca," Thalia said without turning around to see what Bianca did. Either this wasn't the first time Bianca did that for Thalia, or she knew the Earthborn was behind her.

Thalia hugged Jason, nodded to Piper, and ignored me. "You guys arrived. The rest of our Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

"By Earthborn?" Jason asked.

" _And_ wolves—Lycaon's minions." Thalia blew a fleck of ice off her nose. "Also storm spirits—"

"But we gave them to Aeolus!" Piper protested.

"Who tried to use them to kill us," I reminded her. "Maybe he's helping Gaea again."

"I don't know," Thalia said. "But the monsters keep re-forming almost as fast as we can kill them. We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snow storm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. That's about when I send Bianca out to get you guys."

Bianca nodded knowing all of this.

"I can summon some more of our fallen sisters too help," Bianca said took out a hunters knife that looked as if it was made out of iron instead of Celestial Bronze or the gold Jason's sword was made out of, or even the silver as their bows. "I got some rest on the way here, so I should be able to do it."

"You can summon the dead?" I asked.

Bianca glared at me but nodded. "It's a power of Hades. I don't use it as much as—" she stopped for a bit as if rethinking her words. "Anyways, if I have to use it, I use it to summon Hunters who had fallen and died. But it also drains me, even more than just shadow traveling."

That's when it dawn to me why Bianca was exhausted when she came to get us. It wasn't about the battle or having to shadow travel. It was because she already summoned fallen Hunters before coming here."

"Save your strength, Bianca," Thalia said. "We'll need as much strength as needed. I don't know who or what is leading this assault, but I think they planned this, and is aware of your powers. It was a trap to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera.

"Where is she?" Jason asked.

"Still inside," Thalia said. "We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn."

"Not to mention, most monsters are stronger at night," Bianca said. "It's possible the ones fighting back aren't even the full force."

Thalia nodded.

"Then we better get in there," Jason said.

No one argued as we headed into the ruined mansion.

…

Jason stepped over the threshold and immediately collapsed.

"Hey!" I caught him. "None of that, man. What's wrong?"

"This place…" Jason shook his head. "Sorry… It came rushing back to me."

"So you _have_ been here," Piper said.

"We both have," Thalia said grimly. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, tried to convince me he was dead. He just disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves," Jason murmured. "At Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa."

"That part I didn't know." Thalia frowned.

"Lupa—I heard that name before—" Bianca frowned which reminded me somewhat of what Jason does when he tries to remember something. As if she was trying to retrieve memories that wasn't really there.

An explosion shook the building. Just outside, a blue mushroom cloud billowed up, raining snowflakes and ice like a nuclear blast made of cold instead of heat.

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions," I suggested.

"Unfortunately, he's right," Thalia stated like it was a bad thing, "Come on!"

Once inside, Jason seemed to get his bearings. The house was built in a giant **U** , and Jason led us between the two wings to an outside courtyard with an empty reflecting pool. At the bottom of the pool, just as Jason had described from his dream, two spires of rock and root tendrils had cracked through the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger—a solid dark mass about twenty feet high, and to me it looked like a stone body bag. Underneath the mass of fused tendrils I could make out the shape of a head, wide shoulders, a massive chest and arms, like the creature was stuck waist deep in the earth. No, not stuck— _rising_.

On the opposite end of the pool, the other spire was smaller and more loosely woven. Each tendril was as thick as a telephone pole, with so little space between them that I doubted I could've gotten my arms through. Still, I could see inside. And in the center of the cage stood Tía Callida—more commonly known as Hera.

She looked exactly like how I remembered her: dark hair covered with a shawl, the black dress of a widow, a wrinkled face with glinting, scary eyes.

She didn't glow or radiate any sort of power. She looked like a regular mortal woman, my good old psychotic babysitter who just so happens to be my grandmother.

I dropped into the pool and approached the cage. " _Hola, Tía_. Little bit of trouble?"

She crossed her arms and sighed with exasperation. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!"

Thalia stepped next to me, and looked at the cage with distaste—or maybe she was looking at the goddess. "We tried everything we could think of, Leo, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."

"Ohh, Thalia Grace," the goddess said. "When I get out of here—"

"Didn't Bianca tried shadow traveling thing?" I asked.

"Hera advised against it," Bianca said. "She thinks that whatever magic binding her in it might bind me in there."

"And the fact you still had the job to make sure Jason Piper and Leo gets here!" Hera responded.

Thalia looked like she was going to explode. Then it dawn to me, Bianca wasn't just a key to finding Jason's sister, she was the key to help us get here. Thalia must of realized it as well, and it probably annoyed her to admit that Hera was right.

"Thalia, maybe you and Bianca should go help your hunters," Jason suggested.

Thalia clenched her jaw. "Fine. But if you ask me, she's not worth it!"

Thalia turned leaped out of the pool, and stormed from the building with Bianca following.

"Jason, you are wiser than your sister," Hera said. "I chose my champion well."

"I'm not your champion, lady," Jason said. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?"

He nodded to the other spire that looked like the king-size granite body bag. Was it my imagination, or had it grown taller since we've gotten here?

"That, Jason," Hera said. "is the king of the giants being reborn."

"Gross," Piper said.

"Indeed," Hera said. "Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea need a great deal of power to raise him again— _my_ power. For weeks I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."

"So you're like a heat lamp," I guessed. "Or fertilizer."

The goddess glared at me, but I didn't care. This old lady had been making my life miserable since I was a baby. It was only right that I rag on her.

"Joke all you wish," Hera said in a clipped tone. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant will awake. He will offer me a choice: marry him, or be consume by the earth. And I cannot marry him. We will all be destroyed. And as we die, Gaea will awaken."

I frowned at the giant's spire. "Can't we blow it up or something?"

"Without me, you do not have the power," Hera said. "You might as well try to destroy a mountain."

"Done that once today," Jason said.

"Just hurry up and let me out!" Hera demanded.

Jason scratched his head. "Leo, can you do it?"

"I don't know." I responded in my best calming voice—trying to hide my panic. "Besides, if she's a goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"

Hera paced furiously around her cage, cursing in Ancient Greek. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. You were destined for this quest because of your intelligence. Once trapped, a god's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg— _bet_ him for my freedom and apologize for throwing him off Olympus."

"Sounds fair," I said.

Hera gave me the godly stink-eye. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this _abomination_ , it is you."

"But it's not a machine. It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and…" I suddenly felt dizzy. The line of our prophecy came back to me: _The forge and dove shall break the cage_. "Hold on. I do have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

The air turned brittle and cold. The temperature dropped so fast, my lips cracked and my breath changed to mist. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. _Venti_ rushed in—but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came the red-eyes wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.

Piper drew her dagger. Jason grabbed an ice-covered plank off the pool floor. I reached into my tool belt, but I was so shaken up, all I could produce was a tin of breath mints. I shoved them back in, hoping nobody had noticed, and drew a hammer instead.

Two of the wolves padded forward. They were dragging two human size statues by their legs. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statues for us to see—both ice sculptures were of two girl—both obviously archers. One had short spiky hair who was in position as if she was about to guard someone when she was caught by surprise. The other was a girl about three years younger than the first one with black silky hair and a look in her eye that looked like she was about to do something scary or dangerous or possibly both with her iron hunters knife out, looking like she was ready to stab the ground when she was frozen. It was Thalia Grace and Bianca di Angelo.

"Thalia!" Jason rushed forward, but Piper and I pulled him back. The ground around Thalia's and Bianca's statues were already webbed with ice. I feared if Jason touched her, he might freeze too.

"Who did this?" Jason yelled. His body crackled with electricity. "I'll kill you myself!"

From somewhere behind the monsters, I heard a girl's laughter, clear and cold. She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. She regarded us with those deep brown eyes I had once thought were so beautiful in Quebec.

 _"Bon soir, mes amis,"_ said Khione, the goddess of snow. She gave me a frosty smile. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."


	49. Jason's POV Part XVII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XVII**

After our battle on Mount Diablo, I didn't think I could ever feel more afraid of devastated.

Now my sister along with Bianca di Angelo—daughter of Hades was frozen at my feet. I was surrounded by monsters. I've broken my golden sword and replaced it with a piece of wood. I had approximately five minutes until the King of the Giants busted out and destroy us. I had already pulled my biggest ace, calling down Zeus' lightning when I'd fought Enceladus, and I doubted I have the strength or the cooperation from above to do it again. Which meant my only assets were one whiny imprisoned goddess, one sort-of girlfriend with a dagger, and Leo, who apparently thought he could defeat the armies of darkness that caught two daughters of the Big Three-trained Hunters off guard with breath mints.

On top of all that, my worst memories were flooding back. I knew for certain I'd done many dangerous things in my life, but I'd never been closer to death than I was right now.

The enemy was Khione. Her smiled, her dark eyes glittering, as a dagger of ice grew in her hand.

"What have you done?" I demanded.

"Oh, so many things," the snow goddess purred. "Your sister and her second lieutenant is not dead, if that's what you mean. Your sister along with the other Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement so they can be the prey for once. Except for the daughter of Hades. I'm afraid we'll have to take care of her as the way she is to make sure she doesn't summon any help from her daddy."

The wolves snarled. I looked at Bianca—more at iron hunter's knife in her hand—I quickly realize was Stygian Iron: metal of the Underworld. The memory hasn't completely returned to me, but I also realize that I recognize the metal from somewhere. That's when it dawn to me that she was planning to use it to summon the Hunters of Artemis who had fallen in past battles and hunts before she was frozen. Bianca was going to summon backup to buy us time if it wasn't for Khione.

It made me angrier at Khione as sparks of electricity increased around me.

"Your sister almost killed their king, you know." Khione kept her eyes on me. "Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world."

"Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."

Khione sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia."

Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.

"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your  
death—"

"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," I said. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."

The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves. If he wants to talk, what matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side. Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus' ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be rewarded when her sons the giants come to power."

"You could've killed us in Quebec," I said. "Why let us live?"

Khione wrinkled her nose. "Messy business, killing you in my father's house, especially when he insists on meeting all visitors. I did _try_ , you remember. It would've been lovely if he'd agreed to turn you to ice. But once he'd given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn't openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he's still powerful. Soon enough, when my new master have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail."

"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," Piper said. "We've been plague by snowstorms the whole trip."

"And knocked knock our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. The damage control disc, those frozen wires in his head—that was _your_ fault." Leo started literally smoking with anger—not that I blame him. "You're gonna pay for that."

"Yes, I feel so close to all of you now!" Khione said. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House." Khione smiled at me. "You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half-Blood. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with the giants. It will be… delicious."

Piper and Leo seemed confused about what she said, but I understood. My memories were returning enough for me to realize how dangerously effective Khione's plan could be.

"You'll set demigods against demigods," I said.

"It's so easy!" said Khione. "As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway. After all, we wind gods are creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better. They never honored me, even in Greek times. They honored Persephone more than they honored me. The goddess of springtime, being honored more than me.

"Isn't she also the queen of the Underworld?" Piper asked.

"Only because Hades kidnapped her and made her his queen," Khione responded. "Pah! When we retake the ancient places, I will gain the respect I deserve! I will cover the Acropolis in snow."

"The ancient places." Leo's eyes widened. "That's what Enceladus meant about destroying the roots of the gods. He meant Greece."

"You could join me, son of Hephaestus," Khione said. "I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if these other two were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion, instead. Your skills would be quite useful."

Leo looked stunned. He glanced behind him, like Khione might be talking to somebody else. For a second, I was worried. I figured Leo didn't have beautiful goddess make him offers like this every day.

Then Leo laughed so hard, he doubled over. "Yeah, right! Like I join the goddess who destroyed my dragon—the very same dragon my _brother_ trusted with me. Lady, nobody messes with Festus and gets away with it. I haven't even met her, but if she's nothing like you, I can see why the Greeks prefer Persephone over you."

Khione's face turned red. "You'll pay for it, Leo Valdez!"

She shot a blast of wintry sleet at us, but Leo held up his hand. A wall of fire roared to life in front of us, and the snow dissolved in a steamy cloud.

Leo grinned. "See, lady, that's what happens to snow in Texas. It—freaking—melts."

Khione hissed. "Enough of this. Hera is failing. Porphyrion. Kill the demigods. Let them be our king's first meal!"

I was still trying to make heads and tails over what happened between Khione and Leo. All I knew was that Leo turned her down, and hard and now we have an army of monsters charging at us. I hefted my icy wooden plank hoping that I better find a better weapon quick or I'll die fighting with what I have.


	50. Jason's POV Part XVIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XVIII**

A wolf was the first to launch at me. I stepped back and swung my scrap wood into the beast's snout with a satisfying crack. Maybe only silver could kill it, but a good old-fashioned board could give it a Tylenol headache.

I turned toward the sound of hooves and saw a storm spirit horse bearing down at me. I concentrated and summoned the wind that launched myself into the air before the beast could trample me, grabbed the horse's smoky neck, and pirouetted onto its back.

The storm spirit reared as it tried to shake me off. It even tried to dissolve into mist to lose me; but somehow I stayed on. I willed the horse to remain in solid form, and the horse seemed unable to refuse. I could feel it fighting against me. I could sense its raging thoughts—completely chaos straining to break free. It took all my willpower to impose his own wishes and bring the horse under control. I thought about Aeolus, overseeing thousands and thousands of spirits like this, some much worse. No wonder the Master of the Winds had gone a little mad after centuries of that pressure. But I had only one spirit to master, and I _had_ to win.

"You're mine now," I told it.

The horse bucked, but I held fast. Its mane flickered as it circled around the empty pool, its hooves causing a miniature thunderstorm—tempests—whenever they touched. Then it dawns to me…

"Tempest?" I said. "Is your name Tempest?"

The horse spirit shook its mane, evidently pleased to be recognized.

"Will you fight with me now that I acknowledge your name?"

Tempest was hesitant, but it nodded.

"Okay then," I said. "Let's fight."

We charged into battle, as I swung my icy piece of wood, knocking aside wolves and plunging straight through other _venti_. Tempest was a strong spirit, and every time he plowed through one of his brethren, he discharge so much electricity, the other spirits vaporized into a harmless cloud of mist.

Through the chaos, I caught glimpse of my friends. Piper was surrounded by Earthborn, but she seemed to be holding her own. She was so impressive-look as she fought, almost glowing with beauty, that the Earthborn stared at her in awe, forgetting that they were supposed to kill her. They'd lowered the clubs and watch dumbfounded—even smiled back when she smiled before Piper sliced them apart with her dagger.

Leo had taken on Khione herself. While fighting a goddess should've been suicide, Leo was the right man for the job. She kept summoning ice daggers to throw at him, blast of winter air, tornadoes of snow, but Leo just burned through all of it. His whole body was up in flames now as he advance on the goddess, using a silver-tipped ball-peen hammers to smash any monsters that got in his way.

It didn't take much to figure out that Leo was the reason Piper and I weren't frozen yet. Wherever Leo went, ice melted off the stones. Even Thalia and Bianca started to defrost a little when Leo stepped near them.

Even Khione was shock and starting to panic as Leo got closer.

I was running out of enemies. Wolves lay in a dazed heaps. Some slunk away into the ruins, yelping from their wounds. Piper stabbed the last Earthborn into a pile of mud. I rode Tempest through the last _ventus_ , breaking it into vapor. Then I wheeled around and saw that Leo was bearing down on the goddess of snow.

"You're too late," Khione snarled. He's awake! And don't think you've won anything here, demigods. Hera's plan will never work. You'll be at each other's throats before you can even stop us."

Leo set his hammers ablaze and threw them at the goddess, but she turned into snow—a white powdery image of herself. Leo's hammers smashed into the snow woman, breaking it into a steaming mound of mush.

Piper was breathing hard, but she smiled up at me. "Nice horse."

Tempest reared on his hind legs, arcing electricity across his hooves. Typical, the one storm spirit-horse I manage to tame ended up being a complete show-off.

Then I heard a cracking sound behind me. I turned to see that the ice on Hera's cage sloughed off in a curtain of slush, and the goddess called, "Oh, don't mind me! Just the queen of the heavens dying here!"

I sighed. As much as it annoys me to do it, we still have to free Hera. It was either free her and stop the Giant King, or let the Giant King rise and Hera fall, and honestly, even with my memories returning, I rather deal with Hera.

I dismounted and told Tempest to stay put. Piper Leo and I jumped into the pool and ran to the spire.

Leo frowned. "Uh, Tía Callida, are you getting shorter?"

"No, you dolt! The earth is claiming me. Hurry!"

She wasn't kidding. Not only was Hera sinking, the ground was rising around her like water in a tank. Liquid rock had already covered her shins. "The giant wakes!" Hera warned. "You only have seconds!"

"On it," Leo said. "Piper, I need your help. Talk to the cage."

"What?" she said.

"Talk to it. Use everything you've got. Convince Gaea to sleep. Lull her into a daze. Just slow her down, try to get the tendrils to loosen while I—"

"Right!" Piper cleared her throat and said, "Hey, Gaea. Nice night, huh? Boy, I'm tired. How about you? Ready for some sleep?"

The more she talked, the more confident she sounded. I felt my owns eyes getting heavy, and I had to force myself not to focus on her words. It seemed to have some effect on the cage. The mud was still rising, but more slowly. The tendrils seemed to soften just a little—becoming more like tree root than rock. Leo pulled out a circular saw out of his tool belt. I decided it was best not to ask how it fit in there. Then Leo looked at the cord and grunted in frustration. "I don't have anywhere to plug it in!"

The spirit horse Tempest jumped into the pit and whinnied, telling me we can use him.

"Really?" I asked.

Tempest dipped his head and trotted over to Leo. Leo looked dubious, but he held up the plug, and a breeze whisked it into the horse's flank. Lightning sparked connecting with the prongs of the plug, and the circular saw whirred to life.

"Sweet!" Leo grinned. "Your horse comes with AC outlets!"

Our good mood didn't last long. On the other side of the pool, the giant spire crumbled with a sound like a tree snapping in half. Its outer sheath of tendrils exploded from the top down, raining stone and wood shards as the giant shook himself free and climbed out of the earth.

Porphyrion was scarier than Enceladus, that was for sure. He was taller and more ripped. He didn't radiate heat, or show any signs of breathing fire, but there was something more terrible about him—a kind of strength, even magnetism, as if the giant were so huge and dense he had his own gravitational field.

Like Enceladus, the giant king was humanoid from the waist up, clad in bronze armor, and from the waist down he had scaly dragon's legs; but his skin was the color of lima beans. His hair was green as summer leaves, braided in long locks and decorated with weapons—daggers, axes, and full-size swords, some of them bent and bloody—maybe trophies taken from demigods eons before. When the giant opened his eyes, they were blank white, like polished marble. He took a deep breath.

"Alive!" he bellowed. "Praise to Gaea!"

I made a heroic little whimpering sound I hoped my friends couldn't hear. I was very sure no demigod could fight this guy on their own. Porphyrion could lift mountains. He could crush me with one finger.

"Leo," I said breaking my friends from their daze. "You and Piper keep working on getting Hera free. I'll entertain the giant."

"Jason, no, it's suicide," Piper said.

"I have to," I responded. "I've got no choice."

…

"Excellent!" the giant roared as I approached. "An appetizer! Who are you—Hermes? Ares?"

"I'm Jason Grace," I replied. "Son of your bane Jupiter."

That may of not been a good way to introduced myself. Those white eyes bored into me. Behind me I could hear Leo using his circular saw as Piper talked the cage to sleep.

Porphyrion threw back his head and laughed. "Outstanding!" He looked up at the cloudy night sky. "So, Zeus, you sacrifice a son to me? The gesture is appreciated, but it will not save you."

I was expecting at least a rumble back, showing that Zeus was listening, but nothing. Really dad?

I dropped my makeshift club. My hands were covered in splinters, but that didn't matter now. I had to buy Leo and Piper some time, and I couldn't do that without a proper weapon.

It was time I acted a whole lot more confident than I felt. For my friends and for my sister and the family she found that would accept me.

"If you knew who I was," I yelled up at the giant, "you'd be worried about me, not my father. I hope you enjoy your two and a half minutes of rebirth, giant, because I'm going to send you right back to Tartarus."

The giant's eyes narrowed as he planted one foot outside the pool and crouched to get a better look at me. "So… we'll start by boasting, will we? Just like the old times! Very well, demigod. I am Porphyrion, king of the giants, son of Gaea. In olden times, I rose from Tartarus, the abyss of my father, to challenge the gods. To start the war, I stole Zeus' queen." He grinned at Hera's cage. "Hello, Hera."

"My husband destroyed you once, monster!" Hera said. "He'll do it again!"

"But he didn't, my dear! Zeus wasn't powerful enough to kill me. He had to rely on a puny demigod to help, and even then, we almost won. This time, we will complete what we started. Gaea is waking. She has provisioned us with many fine servants. Our armies will shake the earth—and we will destroy you at the roots."

"You wouldn't dare," Hera said, with a weak voice. Even with Piper and Leo working together, the earth was still rising and was up to her waist.

"Oh, yes," the giant said. "The Titans sought to attack your new home in New York. Bold, but ineffective. Gaea is wiser and more patient. And we, her greatest children, are much, much stronger than Kronos. We know how to kill you Olympians once and for all. You must be dug up completely like rotten trees. Your eldest roots torn out and burned."

The giant frowned at Piper and Leo, as if realizing them working on the cage. I stepped forward and yelled to get Porphyrion's attention.

"You said a demigod killed you," I shouted. "How, if we're so puny?"

"Ha! You think I would explain it to you? I was created to be Zeus' replacement, born to destroy the lord of the sky. I shall take his throne. I shall take his wife—or, if she would not have me, I will let the earth consume her life force. What you see before you, child is only my weakened form. I will grow stronger by the hour, until I am invincible. But I am already quite capable of smashing you to a grease spot!"

He rose to his full height and held out his hand. A twenty-foot spear shot from the earth. He grasped it, then stomped the ground with dragon's feet. The ruins shook. All around the courtyard, monsters started to regather—storm spirits, wolves, and Earthborn, all answering the giant king's call.

"Great," Leo muttered. "We needed more enemies."

"Hurry," Hera said.

"I know!" Leo snapped.

"Go to sleep, cage," Piper said. "Nice, sleepy cage. Yes, I'm talking to a bunch of earthen tendrils. This isn't weird at all."

Porphyrion raked his spear across the top of the ruins, destroying the chimney and spraying wood and stone across the courtyard. "So, child of Zeus! I have finished my boasting. Now it's your turn. What were you saying about destroying me?"

I tried not to look at the ring of monsters waiting for the command to kill me, or at Hera's cage almost completely filled with earth, or at my sister and Bianca. If I did, it will only make me realize how hopeless things really are. So… I just focus on my returned memories that was worth boasting about as well as a certain one that I gained when I woke up on the bus that was worth mentioning.

"I am the son of Jupiter!" I shouted as I summed the winds around me, causing me to rise off the ground. "I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the Fifth Legion. I slew the Trojan sea monster, I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed the Titan Krios with my own hands. Most importantly I'm one of the seven prophesized greatest demigods of all time," I said which made Porphyrion uneasy for a moment. "And now I'm going to destroy you, Portphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."

"Wow, dude," Leo muttered. "You been eating red meat?"

I launched myself at the giant, determined to tear him apart.

…

Okay, so fighting a forty-foot-tall immortal bare handed wasn't my greatest ideas. The good thing was that the giant seemed to be caught by surprised by my boasting. While I was half flying, half leaping, I landed on the giant's scaly reptilian knee and climbed up the giant's arm before Porphyrion even realized what had happened.

"You dare?" the giant bellowed.

I reached his shoulders and ripped a sword out of the giant's weapon-filled braids. I could tell it wasn't made out of the Imperial Gold substance my old weapon was made out of—more like celestial bronze. However, since Porphyrion most likely born and killed before the rise of Rome, who am I to complain. I yelled, "For Rome!" and drove the sword into the nearest convenient target—the giant's massive ear.

Lightning streaked out of the sky and blasted the sword, throwing me free. I rolled when I hit the ground. When I looked up, the giant was staggering. His hair was on fire, and the side of his face was blackened from lightning. The sword had splintered in his ear. Golden ichor ran down his jaw. The other weapons were sparking and smoldering in his braids.

Porphyrion almost fell as he was in complete shock. The circle of monsters let out a collective grown and moved forward—wolves and ogres fixing their eyes on me. I was certain if the giant didn't kill me they will.

"Got it!" Leo yelled.

"Sleep!" Piper said, so forcefully, the nearest wolves fell to the ground and began snoring.

The stone and wood cage crumbled. Leo sawed through the base of the thickest tendril and apparently cutting off the cage's connection to Gaea. The tendrils turned to dust and the mud disintegrated. The goddess grew in size, glowing with power.

"Yes!" the goddess said. She threw off her black robes to reveal a white gown, her arms bedecked with golden jewelry. Her face was both terrible and beautiful, and a golden crown glowed in her long black hair. "Now I shall have my revenge!"

The giant Porphyrion backed away. He said nothing, but he gave me a look of hatred with a clear message: _Another time_. Then he slammed his spear against the earth, and the giant disappeared into the ground like he'd dropped down a chute.

Around the courtyard, monsters began to panic and retreat, but there was no escape for them.

Hera glowed brighter. She shouted. "Cover your eyes, my heroes!"

I was too much in shock at first as I watch Hera turned into a supernova, exploding in a ring of force that vaporized every monster instantly. I fell, light searing into my mind. I manage to close my eyes, but it was too late, I can already feel my body burning from the light.


	51. Piper's POV Part XVII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XVII**

"Jason!"

I was calling his name repeatedly as I held him, though I'd almost lost hope. Jason's eyes were closed and he was unconscious. His body was steaming. I couldn't even tell he was breathing.

I didn't see the goddess go nuclear as I closed my eyes, but I could see the after affects. Every vestige of winter was gone from the valley. No signs of the battle either. The monsters had been vaporize, and the ruins were restored back to where they were before—at least before it was overrun by monsters.

Even the Hunters been revived. Most waited respectfully at a distance. Thalia was glaring at the goddess as if blaming her.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" Thalia asked Bianca who had check Jason's condition when we found him

"It's faint, but his life force is still there. His soul is still clinging on," Bianca said.

"Impossible! No mortal can survive seeing a god's true form!" Hera responded in her simple black robe and shawl.

"I'm telling you he's alive!" Bianca argued.

"Piper, can't you charm speak him to come back to us or something?" Leo asked.

"I don't know—but it's worth to try," I said.

I sighed as I remember what my mom said about love overcoming anything.

"Jason," I called putting every bit of willpower and emotion to his name. "Listen to me and wake up. You can do this. Please wake up."

Jason gasped and his eyes fluttered open. For a moment they were full of light, glowing pure gold. Then the light faded and his eyes were back to normal. "What—what happened?"

I wrapped him a hug until he groaned, "Crushing me."

"Sorry," I said with a laugh of relief as I wiped a tear from my eye.

Thalia gripped her brother's hand. "How do you feel?"

"Hot," he muttered. "Mouth is dry. And I saw something… really terrible."

"That was Hera," Thalia grumbled. "Her Majesty, the Loose Cannon."

"That's it, Thalia Grace," said the goddess as she started threatening Thalia again.

I sighed. They been like this since we found Jason unconscious. If it wasn't for Bianca telling us Jason was alive they would have still been fighting.

"Stop it, you two," I said. Amazingly, they both shut up.

I helped Jason to his feet and gave him the last of our nectar.

"Now…" I faced Thalia and Hera. "Your Majesty—we couldn't have rescued you without the Hunters. And Thalia, you never would've seen Jason again— _I_ wouldn't have met him—if it weren't for Hera. And don't go bringing up Hal's prediction because Hera was the reason you found him. You two make nice, because we got bigger problems."

They both glared at me, and for three long seconds it looked like I was going to be a dead girl.

Finally, Thalia grunted. "You've got spirit, Piper." She pulled out a silver card from her parka and tucked it into my snowboarding jacket's pocket. "If you _ever_ want to join the Hunters, call me. We could use you. If not—well at least I know my brother is in good hands."

I tried hard to blush.

Hera crossed her arms. "Fortunately for _this_ Hunter, you have a point, daughter of Aphrodite." She assessed me as if she saw me clearly for the first time. "You wonder, Piper, why I chose you for this quest—other than it being your destiny—or why I didn't reveal your secret in the beginning, even when I knew Enceladus was using you. I must admit, until this moment, I was certain you would be like Silena Beauregard, but something told me you would be vital to the quest. Now I see I was right. You're even stronger than I realized. And you are correct about the dangers to come. We must work together."

"Yeah," Leo said. "I don't suppose that Porphyrion guy just melted and died, huh?"

"No," Hera agreed. "By saving me, and saving this place, you prevented Gaea from waking. You have bought us some time. But Porphyrion has risen. He simply knew better than to stay here, especially since he has not yet regain his full power. Giants can only be killed by a combination of god and demigod, working together. Once you freed me—"

"He ran away," I said. "But to where?"

Hera didn't answer, but a sense of dread washed over me. I remember what Porphyrion had said about killing the Olympians by pulling up their roots. _Greece_. I looked at Thalia's and Bianca's grim expression, and guessed they came to the same conclusion.

"We should go find Annabeth," Thalia said. "She has to know what's happened here."

She looked at Jason and her expression softened. "Sorry, I have to leave again, Jason, but I promise we'll meet again. We'll rendezvous you at Camp Half-Blood."

"Sounds good," Jason agreed, "We can trade stories so we can find out what been going on in our lives when we were separated."

Thalia nodded at the idea. She then turn to Hera. "You'll see them to Camp safely? It's the least you can do."

"It's not your place to tell me—"

"Queen Hera," I interceded.

The goddess sighed. "Fine. Yes. Just off with you, Hunter!"

Thalia gave Jason a hug and both her and Bianca said their good-byes. When the Hunters were gone, the courtyard seemed strangely quiet. But there was something still bothering me.

"Jason, what happened to you here?" I asked. "I mean—I know your mom abandoned you here. But you said it was sacred grounds for demigods. Why? What happened after you were on your own?"

"It was his destiny," Hera said before Jason could reply. "He was given to my service."

Jason scowled. "Because you forced my mom to do that. You couldn't stand knowing Zeus had two children with my mom. Knowing that he'd fallen for her _twice_. I was the price you demanded for leaving the rest of my family alone."

"It was the right choice for you as well, Jason," Hera insisted. The second time your mother manage to snare Zeus' affections, it was because she imagined him in a different aspect—the aspect of Jupiter. Never before had this happened—two children, Greek and Roman, born into the same family. You _had_ to be separated from Thalia. This is where all demigods of your kind start their journey."

"Of his kind?" I asked.

"She means demigods born of the Olympian's Roman aspects," Jason said. Demigods are left here. We meet the she-wolf goddess, Lupa, the same immortal wolf that raised Romulus and Remus."

Hera nodded. "And if you are strong enough, you live."

"But…" Leo looked mystified. "What happened after that? I mean, Jason never made it to camp."

"Not Camp Half-Blood, no," Hera agreed.

"The Roman camp," Jason said, "A camp where Roman demigods goes to. The memories are coming back, but not the location."

"It will come when you're ready to find your way back," Hera said. "When you do… you will help unite the two great powers. You will give us hope against the giants, and more importantly—against Gaea herself. As for now, you three have surprised me. I would not have thought it was possible…"

The goddess shook her head. "Suffice to say, you have performed well, demigods. But this is only the beginning of the path of your destiny. Now you must return to Camp Half-Bloood, where you will begin planning for the next phrase."

"What about my storm spirit horse?" Jason asked.

Hera waved aside the question. "Storm spirits are creatures of chaos. I did not destroy that one, though I have no idea where he went, or whether you'll see him again. Now, for your great service to me, I can help you this one time. Farewell, demigods, for now.

The world turned upside down, and I almost blacked out.

…

When I could see straight again, I was back at camp, in the dining pavilion, in the middle of dinner. They were standing on Aphrodite's cabin's table, and I had one foot in Drew's pizza. Sixty campers rose at once, gawking at astonishment.

Whatever Hera had done to shoot them across the country, it wasn't good for my stomach. I could barely control my nausea. Leo wasn't so lucky. He jumped off the table, ran to the nearest bronze brazier, and threw up in it—which was probably not a great burnt offering for the gods.

Beckendorf left Hephaestus' cabin table to make sure Leo was alright. I guess he wasn't too upset about Festus as Leo feared.

"Jason?" Chiron trotted forward. No doubt the old centaur had seen thousands of years worth of weird stuff, but even he looked totally flabbergasted. "What—How—?"

Silena and the other Aphrodite campers stared up at me with their opens. I figured I must of looked awful.

"Hi," I said, as casually as I could. "We're back."


	52. Piper's POV Part XVIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part XVIII**

I didn't remember much about the rest of the night. We told our stories and answered a million questions from the other campers, but finally Chiron saw how tired we were and ordered Jason Leo and me to bed.

It felt so good to sleep on a real mattress, and I was so exhausted, I crashed immediately, which spared me any worry about what it would be like returning to the Aphrodite Cabin.

The next morning I woke in my bunk, feeling reinvigorated. The sun came through the windows along with a pleasant breeze. It might've been spring instead of winter. Birds sang. Monsters howled in the woods. Breakfast smells wafted from the dining pavilion—bacon, pancakes, and all sorts of wonderful things.

Silena was the only one still in the cabin which confused me.

"Morning?" I asked. "Where is everyone?"

"At breakfast," Silena said.

"Why aren't you with them?" I asked.

Silena shrugged, "I thought it might be good for you to have some company. Besides, I got this feeling you wanted to talk to me about something."

I looked down. "Actually there is one thing—" I told her about what I been hearing about her. When I was done I half expected Silena to tell me it was nothing, but she looked down.

"The hardest thing about being a Child of Aphrodite, is that some of us can be fooled by charming looks and behavior," Silena said. "Before Charlie and I started dating, I was tricked by—someone who was working for the Titan Lord Kronos. He persuaded me to gather information of the activities in camp for their army."

"You were a spy?" I asked.

Silena nodded. "After I started falling for Charlie, I tried to back off so many times, but the Titan Lord kept me in. Finally, I decided to use it to my advantage and be a secret double agent. But in the end, I only been able to stay here was because Percy made the gods swore an oath to Pardon Demigods that turned."

My eyes widened. Now it made sense. Silena was in my shoes before. She was used just like how the Giants tried to use me.

"Look, Piper, I don't blame you for hating me at first—"

"I don't hate you," I said, "You said it yourself, you tried to back out, and when you couldn't you made good out of it. If it wasn't for Jason and Leo, I don't think I would have been able to do that."

Again, I expected Silena to say something or question me, but she nodded.

"Piper, how would you feel to be my second-in-command," Silena offered out of nowhere.

"What?"

"I'll be leaving with Charlie to start a normal life in the real world—possibly after this summer, but I don't want to leave things to Drew. She acts like she knows what it takes to be a child of Aphrodite, but truth is I think she just wants to be a tyrant," Silena said. "But if you're my second, you can take over once I leave."

I was in total shock. Silena entrusting me with Cabin Ten when she leaves.

"I-I'll be honor," I said.

Silena smiled. "Good."

…

That afternoon I had changed into a comfortable camp clothes standing behind Silena as second-in-command in our activities. The look on Drew's face when she found out was priceless. She tried to say she was cheated out of it, but as Silena pointed out—since I completed my first quest I have done one more quest than Drew and thus deserve it.

Silena basically showed me the ropes of being Head Counsellor of Cabin ten, since (in her terms) sometimes Aphrodite's kids can be difficult to work with since many that do participate in activities try to do them without breaking a nail or ruining their make up. As annoying as it sound to me, I quickly accepted it since these were my siblings.

Eventually I had leave them behind for an appointment at the Big House.

Chiron met with me on the front porch in human form, compacted in his wheelchair. "Come inside, my dear. The video conference is ready."

There was only one computer in camp, and it was Chiron's office—which was shielded in bronze plating.

"Demigods and mortal technology don't mix," Chiron explained. "Phone calls, texting, even browsing the Internet—all these things can attract monsters. Why, just this fall at a school in Cincinnati, we had to rescue a young hero who Googled the gorgons and got a little more than he bargained for, but never mind that. Here at camp, you're protected. Still… we try to be cautious. You'll only be able to talk for a few minutes."

"Got it," I said. "Thank you, Chiron."

He smiled and wheeled himself out of the office. I was hesitant before clicking the call button. Chiron's office was cluttered, cozy feel. One was covered with T-shirts from different conventions—PARTY PONIES '09 VEGAS, PARTY PONIES '10 HONOLULU, et cetera. I didn't know who the Party Ponies were, but judging from the stains, scorch marks, and weapon holes in the T-shirts, they must've had some pretty wild meetings. On the other shelf over Chiron's desk sat an old-fashioned boom box with cassette tapes labeled "Dean Martin" and "Frank Sinatra" and "Greatest Hits of the 40s." I couldn't help but wonder which 40s they meant since Chiron was so old.

Most of the office wall space was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of a newer shot showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes, standing next to Annabeth, both of them arm to arm. I realized it was Percy Jackson and that this photo must've been taken after the one Jason had.

Percy looked like a cross between an athletic swimmer and a skater dude. He had a look of a troublemaker but at the same time you could tell there was intelligence in him. Obviously Percy wasn't my type, but I can tell from the photo that he and Annabeth really love each other.

The other photos were older, but I recognized many famous people: businessmen, athletes, leaders, even some actors that my dad knew.

"Unbelievable," I muttered as I wonder if my photo would go on that wall someday. For the first time, I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. Demigods had been around for centuries. Whatever I did, I did for all of them.

I took a deep breath and made the call. The video screen popped up.

Gleeson Hedge grinned at me from my dad's office. "Seen the news?"

"Kind of hard to miss," I said.

Chiron had shown me the newspaper at lunch. It was about what I already knew or guessed would happen: my dad's mysterious return, Jane finally being fired, Gleeson Hedge becoming my dad's life coach and head of security, and of course the hiring of a mysterious girl that came out of nowhere.

"Mellie and I agreed to keep your dad out of public eye for the next month so he can _adjust_ to what he been through," Hedge said.

"Sounds good," I agreed, "Just don't get too comfortable out there in Hollywood, Gleeson."

Hedge snorted. "You kidding? These people made Aeolus look sane. And your dad agreed to give me summer off to look after you. Oh, that reminds me. Mellie wanted me to thank you for getting her a job with your dad. Also the Park Service Bay Area just got an anonymous gift of a new helicopter. And that ranger pilot who helped us? She's got a lucrative offer to fly for Mr. McLean."

"That's great. And tell Mellie it's the least I can do for what she did for us," I responded.

"Come on, you old goat." I heard Mellie said in what I swear was a playful teasing voice, "Stop hogging the screen."

"What?" Hedge demanded, "Oh All right. Mr. McLean? She's on!"

Hedge left the screen, and a second later, my dad appeared.

He broke into a huge grin. "Pipes!"

He looked great—back to normal with his sparkling brown eyes, his half-day beard, his confident smile, and his newly trimmed hair like he was ready to shoot a scene. I was so relieved.

"Dad, hey!" I said. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah!" Dad said, "I take it you're in that camp you told me about?"

"Yeah! I'm actually in my Activities Director: Chiron's office," I said.

"The centaur who trained Greek Heroes?"

"The very same," I said.

"I love you Piper," Dad said. "Call me as often as you can, and see if you can come home for Christmas—or does demigods celebrate Christmas?"

"They do!" I heard Coach Hedge yelled in the background. "At least those who celebrated it before finding out they're demigods do."

I couldn't help but laughed. "I'll see what I can do, Dad."

"Good," Dad said. "Because I'll be happy to arrange you a ride back to camp after New Years if you want too. And Pipes…"

"Yes?"

He touched the screen as if trying to reach through with his hand. "You're a wonderful young lady. I don't tell you that often enough. And now that I know the truth, I know you'll be great hero one day. It's a shame Grandpa Tom never found out the truth"—he chuckled—"he always said you'd be the most powerful voice in our family."

I smiled as I touched his fingers on the screen, "I'll do my best, dad."

"Good, oh, and if any of your half-siblings want anything, tell them I'm willing to help them out as long as it's within my power," Dad said with a wink, "After all, they're part of our family, right?"

"Right," I said.

Mellie said something in the background, and my dad sighed. "Studio calling. I'm sorry, honey." And he did sound genuinely annoyed to go.

"It's okay, Dad," I managed. "Love you."

He winked. Then the video call went black.

Forty-five seconds? Maybe a full minute.

I smiled. It seemed that finding out the truth helped dad improve for the better. I wished he didn't bring up about offering my half-siblings stuff, but the fact he accepted them as part of the family as well made me feel better.

…

At the common area, I found Jason relaxing on the beach, a basketball between his feet. He was sweaty from working out, but he looked great in his orange tank top and shorts. His various scars and bruises from the quest were healing, thanks to some medical attention from Apollo Cabin. His arms and legs were well muscled and tan—distracting as always. His close-cropped blond hair caught the afternoon light so it looked like it was turning gold, Midas style.

"Hey," he said. "How did it go?"

It took me a second to focus on his question. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. Fine."

I sat next to him and we watch the campers going back and forth. A couple of Demeter girls were playing tricks on two of the Apollo guys—making the grass grow around their ankles as they shot baskets. Over at the camp store, the Hermes kids were putting up sign that read: flying shoes, slight used 50% off today! Ares kids were lining their cabin with fresh barb wire. The Hypnos Cabin was snoring away. A normal day at camp.

I noticed some of my siblings from Aphrodite Cabin were watching us while trying to pretend they weren't. I swear I saw them exchanging money like they were placing bets. I didn't see Silena among them, which was reinsuring, but I will deal with the others later.

"Get any sleep?" I asked Jason.

He looked as if I'd been reading his thought. "Not much. Dreams."

"About your past?"

He nodded.

I didn't push him, knowing it was a subject that shouldn't be pushed. I finally accepted that the feelings I had for Jason was real, despite the fake memories of the three months I thought we were together, and I cared about Jason too much to do anything that might hurt him.

Jason spun his basketball. "My memories aren't good for everyone here in camp. It could end up turning bad.

"We'll figure it out," I promised.

"Maybe," Jason said as if he wanted to believe me. "Annabeth and Rachel are coming in for the meeting tonight. Thalia contacted me last night to let me know she and the Hunters would be too. I think it's best to wait until then to explain…"

"Okay." I plucked a blade of grass by my foot. I knew there was dangerous things in store for both of us. I knew I might I have to compete with Jason's past, and we might not even survive the war against the giants. But right now, we were both alive, and I was determined to enjoy this moment.

Jason studied me warily. His forearm tattoo was faint blue in the sunlight. "You're in a good mood. How can you be so sure things will work out?"

"Because you're going to lead us," I said simply as I wrapped my arms around Jason and felt the urge to kiss him, which I did. In all my fake memories, most of the time it Jason was the one who kissed me first, and I have to say, it felt nice to be the one who did made the first move. I moved back and stared at his confused sky blue eyes as I continued what I said earlier, "and I'd follow you anywhere."

At first Jason was still in a daze, but he smiled slowly. "That's a dangerous thing to say."

"I'm a dangerous girl."

"That, I believe."

This time Jason pulled me back into a short sweet kiss, which I liked very much. I didn't even think about my siblings who were probably either paying up or getting cash that I would be scolding at later.

When we broke, Jason got up, brushed off his shorts before offering me his hand. "We better go see what Leo wanted to show us?"

I smiled as I took his hand and stood up. "Yeah. We better go."

The two of us headed off to find Leo, hand to hand as a real couple.

* * *

 **A/N:** That's right, I got Piper and Jason to kiss. I found it annoying that Rick Rioran showed when Annabeth and Percy officially became a couple, when Frank and Hazel officially a couple, heck even when Calypso kissed Leo, and yet we never found out when Jason and Piper officially became a real couple.


	53. Leo's POV Part XVII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XVII**

I haven't felt this jumpy since I offered tofu burgers to werewolves. When I got to the limestone cliff in the forest, I turned to the group and smiled nervously. Beckendorf was there to support me.

It turns out Beckendorf wasn't too upset what happened to Festus. Sure it was his greatest project as well. But he figured something happened when he called up his bunk to find only Festus' head on it with a message carved into it's celestial bronze head.

Silena was with us, mostly because I understand that Beckendorf wanted to show it to his girlfriend. After all it explained where the two of run off two when we came here.

Jason and Piper were there too and they were holding hands like they did in the Mist memories—when did they officially became a real couple?

I shook my head as I need to focus on what I'm about to do.

"Here we go," I said.

I willed my hand to catch fire, and set it against the door.

My cabinmates—minus Beckendorf—gasped.

"Leo!" Nyssa cried. "You're a fire user!"

"Yeah, thanks," I said. "I know.

"Holy Hephaestus," Jason Mason said, "That means—it's so rare that—"

The massive stone door swung open, and everyone's mouth dropped. My flaming hand seemed insignificant now. Even Piper and Jason looked stunned, and we'd seen enough amazing things lately.

Only Chiron didn't looked surprised. The centaur knit his bushy eyebrows and stroked his beard, as if we were about to walk through a minefield.

That made me even more nervous, but I couldn't change my mind now. My instincts told me Beckendorf and I was meant to share this place—at least with Hephaestus cabin—and I couldn't hide it from Chiron or my two best friends. Just as Beckendorf couldn't hide it from Silena who was with us.

"Welcome to Bunker Nine," I said, as confidently as I could, "C'mon in."

…

The group was silent as Beckendorf and I both gave them the tour of the facility. Everything was just as I left it—giant machines, worktables, old maps and schematics. Beckendorf must have found a way to open the doors without the fire ability because Festus' head was sitting on the central table, still battered and scorched from his final crash in Omaha.

I went over to it, a bitter taste in my mouth, and stroked the dragon's forehead. "I'm sorry, Festus. But I won't forget you."

"Can you fix him?" Jason asked.

"No," I replied, "But the head is going to be reused. Festus is going with us."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

Before I could answer, I heard Nyssa yelled, "Whoa!"

I turned to see that Beckendorf was showing some of our siblings one of the work tables. Nyssa flipped through a sketchbook—diagrams for hundreds of different machines and weapons.

"I've never seen anything like this," Nyssa said. "There had to be more designs here than what Annabeth has on Daedalus' laptop. It would take a century just to prototype them all."

"Who built this place," Jake Mason said. "And why?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Silena said.

Beckendorf shrugged. Too be honest, the two of us weren't a hundred percent certain.

Chiron stayed silent, but I focus on the wall map I'd seen during Beckendorf's and my first visit. It showed Camp Half-Blood with a line of triremes in the Sound, catapults mounted on the hills around the valley, and spots marked for traps, trenches, and ambush sites.

"It's a wartime command center," he said. "The camp was attacked once, wasn't it?"

"In the Titan War?" Piper asked.

"No," Beckendorf grunted. "Besides the map dates back to 1864."

We turned to Chiron, hoping for answers.

The centaur's tail swished fretfully. "This camp has been attacked many times," he admitted. "That map is from the last Civil War."

Everyone frowned when we heard that.

"Civil War…" Piper said. "You mean the American Civil War, like a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"Yes and no," Chiron said. "The two conflicts—mortal and demigod—mirrored each other, as they usually do in Western history. Look at any civil war or revolution from the fall of Rome onward, and it marks a time when demigods also fought one another. But _that_ Civil War was particularly horrible. For American mortals, it is still their bloodiest conflict of all time—worse than their casualties in the two World Wars. For demigods, it was equally devastating. Even back then, this valley was Camp Half-Blood. There was a horrible battle in these woods losting for days, with terrible losses on both sides."

That's when it dawn to me. "You mean between the Greeks and—"

"I swore upon the River Styx never to speak of." Chiron interrupted before I could finish, as if mentioning the Romans were a bad thing. "After the American Civil War, the gods were so horrified by the toll it took on their children, that they sword it would never happen again. The two groups were separated. The gods bent all their will, wove the Mist as tightly as they could, to make sure the enemies never remember each other, never met on their quest, so that bloodshed could be avoided. This map is from the final dark days of 1864, the last time the two groups fought. We've had several close calls since then. The nineteen sixties were particularly dicey. But we've manage to avoid another civil war—at least so far. This bunker was a command center for Hephaestus cabin. In the last century, it has been reopened a few times, usually as a hiding place in times of great unrest. But coming here is dangerous. It stirs old memories, awakens the old feuds. Even when the Titans threatened us last year, I did not think it worth the risk to use this place."

Suddenly I had a sense of guilt.

"But Leo and I found it," Beckendorf said, "It had to be an act of the Fates."

"Maybe so, but I hope for the good," Chiron said.

"It is!" I said. I pulled out the old drawing from my pocket and spread it on the table for everyone to see.

"There," I said proudly. "Aeolus returned that to me. I drew it when I was five. That's my destiny as one of the seven greatest demigods of all time."

"How can you be sure?" Silena asked.

"Yeah, I mean, it looks to me like any other crayon drawing to me," Jake said.

"Look." I pointed at the largest schematic on the bulletin board—the blueprint showing a Greek trireme. Slowly everyone's eyes widened as they compared the two designs. They were exactly the same.

"The mast head—" Beckendorf said. "That's Festus, isn't it?"

I nodded. "He's meant to be our masthead," I said. "Our good luck charm, our eyes at the sea. I'm meant to build this ship. It's going to be called the _Argo II_. But I can't build it alone. I'll need all the help I can get."

"The _Argo II_." Piper smiled. "After the original Jason's ship."

Jason looked uncomfortable, but he nodded. "Leo's right. That ship is just what we need for our journey to save Olympus from it's roots.

"One thing is clear," Chiron said. "You three—Jason, Piper, and Leo—are among the seven demigods of Rachel's Great Prophecy and Halcyon Green's prediction—the seven greatest demigods of all time. Although it's still unclear what the prophecy means, it's clear you must confront the giants in their homeland, where they are strongest. You must stop them before they can wake Gaea fully, before they destroy Mount Olympus."

"The Original Mount Olympus," I said. "We have to sail to Greece."


	54. Leo's POV Part XVIII

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part XVIII**

It took a few minutes for that to settle in. Then the other Hephaestus campers started asking questions all at once. Who were the three demigods since Percy was obviously the fourth one. How long would it take to build the boat? Why didn't everyone go to Greece?

"Heroes!" Chiron struck his hoof on the floor. "All the details are not clear yet, but Leo is correct. He will need your help to build the _Argo II_. It is perhaps the greatest project Cabin Nine has ever undertaken, even greater than the bronze dragon."

Beckendorf grunted. I guess he would know since he spend months getting Festus back in working conditions.

"It'll take a year," Beckendorf guessed, "Maybe six months if we can get the help of Athena's Cabin. Gods know if Daedalus might have plans in Annabeth's laptop that might help us speed things up."

"We'll have to ask Annabeth when she gets here then," Chiron said. "You should sail by summer solstice, when the gods' power is strongest. Besides, we evidently cannot trust the wind gods, and the summer winds are least powerful and easiest to navigate. You dare not sail any later, or you may be too late to stop the giants. You must avoid the ground travel, using only air and sea, so if this ship is meant to fly and sail as the plans shows, it will be perfect. Jason being the son of the sky god…"

His voice trailed off, but I figured Chiron was thinking about his missing student Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. He would've been good on this voyage too.

"Well, one thing is for sure. I've think I have a replacement for when I join the real world for good," Beckendorf patted me on the shoulder.

"Me?" I asked.

No body argued. Not even Jake Mason who I understood was Beckendorf's second.

"I agree," Jake said. "And I think it's only right you lead us to build this boat of yours."

Beckendorf nodded.

For once I was speechless. Ever since my mom died, I'd spent my life on the run. Now I found a home, a family, and a job to do. And as scary as it was, I wasn't tempted to run—not even a little.

"Very well," Chiron said. "Piper, Leo, since both of you are part of the Prophecy, I'll be expecting both of you at the meeting."

"Yes, sir," both Piper and I responded.


	55. Jason's POV Part XIX

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XIX**

I waited alone in Cabin One. Mostly because camp rules has it where Piper can't be in the same cabin as me alone, but partly because I wanted time to think.

Thalia and the hunters already arrived and I told her how I planned to explained certain things in the counsellor meeting. It turns out since Thalia was lieutenant of the Hunters, she can attend the meeting, representing Cabin Eight: Artemis' Cabin.

Thalia looked a bit disappointed to find out Piper decided to stay here, stay with me, but she didn't argue against it. I still remember what Thalia said about trusting me with Piper—much to both of our embarrassment at the time.

Some part of me still can't believe Piper and I kissed. I been wanting to do that for so long and when it finally happened, it felt like a dream.

Annabeth and Rachel still haven't arrived, but they were due any minute for the meeting, which is why I need time to think.

My dreams the night before had been the worse than I'd wanted to share—even with Piper. My memory was still foggy, but bits and pieces were coming back. The night Lupa had tested me at the Wolf House, to decide if I would be a pup or food. Then the long trip south to the Roman Camp, which I'm now certain where it might be. The day I gotten my tattoo. The day I'd raised on a shield and proclaim a praetor. My friends' faces: Dakota, Gwendolyn, Hazel, Bobby. There was also a girl name Reyna. I think I might of liked her at one time, but not as much as I cared for Piper (the kiss confirmed it). Still I can't help but worry what would happen if those two meet, and not just because of the whole Greek and Roman situation.

I moved my stuff to the corner alcove where my sister had once slept. I put Thalia's old photo back on the wall so even when she's not in Camp or staying at Cabin Eight, I didn't feel alone in here. Plus it gives me a new purpose in this quest. Not to just save Olympus, but to find my missing brother Percy.

I knew from the stories that even in their roman aspects, Zeus and Poseidon never got along, and yet Thalia and Percy grew a sibling bond. I don't know if I would be able to do that with Percy, but if he's willing to accept me as a brother, who am I to argue.

I stared up at the frowning statue of Zeus, mighty and proud, but the statue didn't scare me anymore. It just made me feel sad looking at it.

"I know you can hear me," I said to the statue.

The statue said nothing. Its painted eyes seemed to stare at me.

"I wish I could talk with you in person," I continued. "but I understand you can't do that. The Roman gods don't like to interact with mortals so much, and—well, you're the king. You've got to set an example."

More silence. I was kind of hoping something.

"I remember things—not everything, but enough," I said. "I remember that it's hard being a son of Jupiter. Everyone is always looking at me to be a leader, but I always feel alone. I guess you feel the same way on Olympus. The other gods challenge your decisions. Sometimes you've got to make hard choices, and the others criticize you. And you can't come to my aid like the other gods might. You've got to keep me at a distance so it doesn't look like you're playing favorites. I guess I wanted to say…"

I took a deep breath. "I understand all that. It's okay. I'm going to try my best. I'll try to make you proud. But I could really use some guidance, Dad. If there's anything you can do—help me so I can help my friends. I'm afraid I'll get them killed. I don't know how to protect them."

The back of my neck tingled. I realized someone was standing behind me. I turned and found a woman in a black hooded robe, with goat skin cloak over her shoulders and a sheathed Roman sword—a _gladius_ —in her hands.

"Hera," I said.

She pushed back her hood. "To you, I have always been Juno. And your father has already sent you guidance, Jason. He sent you Piper and Leo. And you will have the help of the son of Poseidon who _will_ call you his brother as well as two more from the Roman camp when the time comes. They're not just your responsibility. They are also your friends. Listen to them, and you will do well."

"Did Jupiter send you here to tell me that?"

"No one sends me anywhere, hero," she said. "I am not a messenger."

"But you got me into this. Why did you send me to this camp?"

"I think you know," Juno said. "An exchange of leaders was necessary. It was the only way to bridge the gap."

"I didn't agree with it."

"No. But Zeus gave your life to me, and I am helping you fulfill your destiny."

I tried to control my anger. I looked down at my orange camp half-blood shirt and tattoos on my arm, and I knew these things should not go together. I had become a contradiction—a mixture as dangerous as anything Medea could cook up.

"What about my memories?" I said, "Not all of them are back."

"Most will return in time," Juno said. "But first you need these next months with your friends, your new home. You're gaining their trust. By time you sail your ship, you will be a leader at this camp. And you will be ready to be a peacemaker between two great powers."

"What if it cause another Civil War?" I asked

"I am the goddess of family," she said. "My family has been divided too long. For this quest to succeed we must make changes. And the final key too succeed will rely on one of Athena's children who has resist against feuds between her mother and the sea god before."

It took me a while but it dawn to me. "Annabeth."

Juno nodded. "As much as my Greek aspects doesn't like it, and as much as I rather let it not be, she is one of the seven greatest demigods. Whether or not she lives up to it is up to her."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "How is she the final key?"

"I already told you too much," Juno said. "But one thing is certain, the seven of you must unite against the giants when they rise. Each one can only be killed by a god and demigod working together. In the previous war the demigods that have successfully helped us fight the giants have earned their titles as greatest heroes, just as you and your friends might due if you succeed."

I look up again at the glowering statue of my father.

"It's not fair," I said. "I could ruin everything."

"You could," Juno agreed. "But gods need heroes. We always have."

"Even you? I thought you hated heroes."

The goddess gave me a dry smile. "I have that reputation. But if you want the truth, Jason. I often envy other gods and their mortal children. You demigods can span both worlds. I think this helps your godly parents—even Jupiter much to my annoyance—to understand the mortal world better than I."

Juno sighed so unhappily that despite my anger, I almost felt sorry for her.

"I am the goddess of marriage," she said. "It is not in my nature to be faithless. Only two goldly children of mine were born powerful enough to be called Olympians—Ares and Hephaestus—both of whom are disappointments. I have no mortal heroes to do my bidding, which is why I am so often bitter toward demigods—Heracles, Aeneas, all of them. Then I met the first Jason—a descendant of an Olympian—or Legacy as the Romans put it. He did me a deed once on his way to take on a quest for the Golden Fleece, and in return I favored him. That's why I am glad Zeus gave you to me. You will be my champion, Jason. You will be the one of the greatest heroes, and bring unity to the demigods, and thus to Olympus."

Her words settled over me like sandbags. Two days ago, I'd be terrified by the idea of leading demigods into a Great Prophecy, sailing off to battle the giants and save the world.

I was still terrified, but this time I didn't feel alone. I had friends now, even a girlfriend I will risk jumping off a cliff for, and two homes to fight for. I even had a patron goddess looking out for me, which had to count for something, even if she seemed a little untrustworthy.

I had to stand up and accept my destiny, just as I had done when I faced Porphyrion with his bare hands. My friends were counting on me, and I need to do this. The risk was high, that was for sure, but if Juno is right and we succeed, it be worth it.

At that moment, someone pounded on the cabin doors.

Juno pulled her hood back over her face. Then she handed me the sheathed _gladius_. "Take this for the weapon you lost. We will speak again. Like it or not, Jason, I am your sponsor, and your link to Olympus. We need each other."

The goddess vanished as the doors creaked open and Piper came in.

"Annabeth and Rachel are here. Chiron has summoned the council," Piper said. "Are you okay?"

I looked at my new sword and remembered what Juno said—including the part about Annabeth having a roll in the Prophecy.

"Yeah," I said. "Let's go!"


	56. Jason's POV Part XX

**Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **A/N:** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story. Because I KNOW I warn all of you about the first chapter before it started.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book

This is the Last Chapter of 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero'. Before I get to the 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune' there will be one more short story 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford'

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part XX**

The council was nothing like I imagined. For one thing, it was in the Big House rec room, around a Ping-Pong table, and one of the satyrs was serving nachos and sodas. Somebody had brought Seymour the leopard head in from the living room and hung him on the wall. Every once in a while a counselor would toss him a Snausage.

I looked around the room and tried to remember everyone's names. Leo and Piper were were sitting next to me as honorary guest in the meeting since the prophecy included them. Thalia was here too, sitting in her own little spot as a Hunter and Artemis' lieutenant. talking to Silena Beauregard, leader of Aphrodite Cabin was talking with Clarisse, leader of Ares Cabin and—from what I been told—Coach Hedge's earlier charge before Piper Leo and me, had her boots on the table, with Beckendorf stood by as leader of Hephaestus cabin.

Clovis from Hypnos Cabin was snoring in the corner while Butch from Iris Cabin was seeing how many pencils he could fit in Clovis' Nose.

Ethan Nakamura—the one eye son of Nemesis was sort of following Clarisse's example with his feet on the table, but he was sharpening his knife.

Travis and Connor Stoll from Hermes was trying to lite a ping pong ball to see if it would burn.

Then there was Michael Yew, leader of Apollo Cabin, who had to be the shortest head counsellor in the room, was cleaning his bow trying to avoid contact with Clarisse (I don't think those two don't get along by the looks of it).

The counselor frome Hecate Cabin, Lou Ellen something-or-other, was playing "got-your-nose" with Miranda Gardiner from Demeter (who I been told was actually filling in for the _actual_ head counsellor Katie Gardner who only stays at camp for the summer), except that Lou Ellen really _had_ magically disconnected her nose, and Miranda was trying to get it back.

The counselor of Hebe cabin: Paolo Montez-who was this muscular teen wearing a white tank top over his chest, was talking to Chiara Benvenuti-cabin counselor of Tyche's cabin. Only I think Chiara was only being polite as she listen to Paolo, because they guy spoke Portuguese not English. From what I heard about the guy, he understands English but doesn't know how to speak it.

There was also two dark-haired young ladies-obviously twins-ere arguing with each other. From what I understood, their names were Holly and Laurel Victor, daughters of Nike, goddess of victory.

I had expected to see Bianca's kid brother who I was told was also the son of Hades, but apparently he was still out on his own doing whatever he does. I can't help but shake this feeling I knew a son of Hades—who I thought was a son of Pluto (Hades' roman aspect) until I realized he had the same last name as Bianca.

Rachel Dare the oracle, sat next to Chiron at the head of the table. She was wearing her Clarion Academy school uniform dress, which seemed a bit odd, but she smiled at me.

Annabeth didn't looked so relax. She wore armor over her camp clothes, with her knife at her side and her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. Thalia must have told her what we learned my past during the quest, because she fixed on me with an expectant look, as if she were trying wanted information she knew I had. She also gave a friendly nod, so I guess we're still in good terms.

"Let's come to order," Chiron said. "Lou Ellen, please give Miranda back her nose. Travis, Connor, if you kindly extinguish the flaming Ping-Pong ball, and Butch, I think twenty pencils is really to much for any human nostril. Holly, Laurel, I think we get the point of your argument. Thank you. Now, as you can see, Jason Piper, and Leo have returned successfully… more or less."

"With the Hunters help." Thalia added in.

"Right," Chiron responded. "Some of you have heard parts of their story, but for those who haven't heard. I will let them fill you in."

Everyone looked at me as I cleared my throat and began the story. Piper Leo and even Thalia chimed in from time to time, filling in details I forgot.

It only took a few minutes, but it seemed like longer with everyone watching me. The silence was heavy and for so many ADHD demigods to sit still listening for that long, I knew the story must have sounded pretty wild. I ended with Juno's visit right before the meeting."

"So Hera was _here_ ," Annabeth said. "Talking to you."

I nodded. "More like her Roman aspect was there. Juno turned out to be easier to talk to than Hera, despite how annoying both are."

Thalia snorted.

"Look, I'm not saying we should trust either of them, but neither Hera nor Juno wasn't lying about there being a Roman Camp," I said.

"You expect us to believe this?" Clarisse asked.

"I do," Ethan argued. "The Romans had a different view of most of the gods. I would guess that since both camps survived for thousands of years—even with the Greeks being older than the Romans, the Olympians had to develop a different aspect to maintain balance between the two."

"Of course you'll believe that," Chiara said.

"Then why is it we never even heard of them?" Michael asked.

Piper sat forward. "The gods have kept the two groups apart because every time they see each other, they try to kill each other."

"I can respect that," Clarisse said. "Still, why haven't we ever run across each other on quest?"

"I think we have," Beckendorf grunted, "Chiron mentioned it back in Bunker Nine."

"And it was true," Chiron said sadly. "The gods do their best to wipe clean the memories of those involved."

Annabeth frowned a bit as if a thought occurred to her. "What if two sides meet and didn't have conflict."

"I never heard of the cases but if it does happen, I would think the Olympians would alter their memories of it," Chiron said. "The rivalry between the two sides goes as back as the Trojan War. The Greeks invaded Troy and burned it to the ground. The Trojan hero Aeneas escaped, and eventually made his way to Italy, where he founded the race that would someday become Rome. The Romans grew more and more powerful worshipping the same gods but under different names, and with different personalities which led to what Ethan said."

"I personally prefer a little competition," Holly said.

"Not as much as me!" Laurel replied.

"The Roman Gods were more warlike," I said ignoring the Nike Twins. "More united. More about expansion, conquest, and discipline."

"Yuck," Travis and Connor added.

Several of the others looked uncomfortable, even Laurel and Holly seem to agree. Except for Clarisse. I guess being the daughter of a war god, the Roman gods didn't sound too bad too her.

Annabeth twirled her knife. "And the Romans hated the Greeks. They took revenge when they conquered the Greek isles and made them part of the Roman Empire."

"Actually it was more of the fact that the Romans were jealous of the Greeks," I stated. "In return, the Greeks thought the Romans were barbarians, but they respected their military power. So during the Roman times, demigods started to divide—either Greek or Roman."

"I'm guessing it led to how the Roman Empire was divided between Eastern half and western half?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," I responded.

Paolo started muttering in Portuguese as he fiddled with a bandana with the color of the Brazilian flag.

"But there's something I don't get," Annabeth said, "if there is a Roman Camp, where were they during the Titan war?"

"We were fighting Krios at the Titan's base," I explained. "We were led to believe that if we toppled Kronos' throne, he would fall."

"I would guess at the time Luke sacrificed himself to stop Kronos, the Romans took down the Titan's base," Chiron said.

I nodded.

"That would explain what happened to Krios," Ethan said, "The Romans must have took him down, just as the Percy and the satyrs took down Hyperion in Manhattan."

"Actually I took down Krios," I admitted. "In fact, we destroy the whole palace, only sparing Atlas to hold up the sky."

"Hold on a second," Annabeth said, "The Bay Area. We were always told to stay away from it because Mount Othrys were there, but that's not the reason, is it? The Roman camp—it's somewhere near San Francisco. I bet it was put there to keep watch on the Titan's territory. Where is it?"

Chiron shifted in his wheelchair. "I cannot say. Honestly, even _I_ have never been trusted with that information. My counterpart, Lupa, is not exactly the sharing type."

"It's there, but it's not that easy to find," I said. "The camp's heavily veiled with magic and it's heavily guarded. Unless you were trained by Lupa, you wouldn't find it."

"Which you were," Thalia stated. "How?"

"Lupa gives us a specific training that helps us develop a sort of homing beacon of instincts to find the Roman Camp the moment we leave the Wolf House," I explained.

"Wait, the wolves don't take you there?" Connor asked.

I shook my head. They can help lead us to the Wolf House if we don't have someone to take us there, but once we're done training with Lupa we're on our own to find the Roman camp. It's a like a final test to prove ourselves that we have what it takes to be true Romans."

Rachel Dare laced his finger. Of all the people in the room, only she didn't seem nervous about the conversation. "I'm guessing you still can't remember the exact location?"

I nodded.

"Then it's obvious what you must do," Rachel said. "Leo's boat, the _Argo II_ must be build. Before you make it for Greece, you must sail for the Roman Camp with you guiding us. You'll need their help. _And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_. That must be about Greeks and Romans working together."

"Gaea has opened the Doors of Death," Annabeth said. "She's letting out the worst villains of the Underworld to fight us. Medea, Midas—"

"Not the Child-Eater?" Michael asked with fear in his voice.

"I fear Gaea might bring him back too," Chiron said.

Annabeth, Michael, Silena, Beckendorf, Travis, Connor and even Clarisse acted as if a shiver went down their backs. I had no clue who the Child Eater was, but if he has this effect on seven head counsellors, I pray to the gods that I don't meet him. And judging from Piper's and Leo's faces, they feel the same too.

"It just give us a reason to cooperate with the Romans more," I said. "Annabeth, Juno said you have a roll in the prophecy too which means you'll be joining us."

"Good, because I plan on going even if Juno or Hera doesn't want me too," Annabeth said.

"Wait, why Annabeth?" Clarisse asked.

"Because Percy is involved," Thalia said. "Hera mentioned an exchange of leaders right? Jason, you led the Romans against Krios, while Percy led the camp against Kronos. Both of you were leaders of the two camps. Which means…"

"Hera might be planning to send Percy to the Roman Camp with most of his memories stolen, just as she did with me."

"That would explain why Hera left Percy's shield," Annabeth said grimly.

"His shield?" Leo asked.

"Showed them," Chiron told her.

Annabeth nodded and press a button on her wristwatch. When she did, a decent size shield bronze and ox-hide shield spiraled out. At first I was confused about what was so special about the shield, until I noticed that there was etchings of battles and adventures on the shield, and right in the middle, was the etching of the same photograph I taped back up on the wall of Cabin One.

"It was made by Percy's brother Tyson," Annabeth explained, "It has pictures of our adventures during our quest for the Golden Fleece, except for the center one—that one Tyson added knowing how much it meant to Percy. If Hera left it here because of the pictures—the memories in this shield, then Jason would be right. Percy would be at the other camp."


End file.
